Homelessness has become a hot topic in many communities, from Charleston, WV, to Los Angeles. However, the discussion does not appear as honest as it should be.
I served as HUD special assistant to Jack Kemp and as HUD director in Houston and West Virginia, and I became very familiar with the "homeless" issues. A small percentage of homelessness results from economics, while the vast majority is caused by drug abuse and mental problems.
Drug abusers and the mentally ill are in a "recycling" nightmare caused by liberal politicians and leftist lawyers. These homeless people are regularly picked up by police, placed in rehab, and then released, only to fall back again.
Sadly, drug abusers and the mentally ill cannot be responsible for themselves, and it is cruel to set them free repeatedly. They cannot (or will not) take their medication or control their addiction.
Repeat "offenders" and the chronically mentally ill whose families cannot care for them must be supervised in a long-term controlled environment. They need to be institutionalized after the third 3rd arrest rather than be repeatedly released because they show they cannot or will not take care of themselves.
Furthermore, a "poverty industry" is more interested in growing and gaining money than addressing the problem. Poverty pimps exaggerate or refuse to discuss the issue honestly.
Drug abusers and the chronically mentally ill are a danger to themselves and to the public. Rights and freedom require responsibility, and when people have no self-control, their rights and liberties must be limited. We need tough love for a challenging problem.