I see a lot of angst about the “homeless problem” in Salt Lake City and elsewhere. What I see less often is recognition that homelessness is not a monolithic problem with “a” solution.
As one who spends a good deal of time around the homeless, I assert that the issue is not just “complex,” but multi-pronged. Many of the homeless are simply between homes, having lost their housing due to illness, loss of job, being priced out of the rental market, or some other problem that can be addressed through short-term lodging while their problem is resolved.
Others have varying degrees of mental illness — most of whom would benefit from treatment and some who need to be institutionalized. Others are trapped in drug addiction, often resulting from severe emotional trauma. This requires its own specialized treatment.
Finally, there are a few driftless people who, for reasons you and I might not comprehend, simply choose a drifter’s life. There are variations on all these themes. Many of these folks would do fine in a shelter in a residential neighborhood. Others, not so much.
Interestingly, all of these problems result from — or are aggravated by — the wonderful free-market economy from which most of us benefit, especially those who live in towns or upscale neighborhoods where these folks do not congregate.
If we are to make real progress, each of these separate problems must be addressed separately and we must recognize that this is a collective problem that will require significant resources to ameliorate.
If we are unwilling to summon the will and pay the significant costs to resolve them, we should quit whining and just congratulate our political leaders for playing “whack-a-mole” by having the police endlessly displace one camp after another and torment these folks in the absurd hope that our fellow citizens will somehow vanish instead of popping up on another lot or sidewalk.
Isn’t that the definition of insanity?
Gary Widdison, Salt Lake City
