Homeless tents creeping into the nice/residential part of DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finland’s “housing first” approach to homelessness seems supportive. They are providing housing and services for all who are homeless. It is cheaper than criminalizing homelessness or providing “safe sleeping sites” aka parking lots like we have done. It is a policy choice. Too logical and compassionate to be taken seriously in the US, I fear.

Finland does not compare to the US. Despite the Sami, they are homogeneous.

Aww, you wanted to say the N word but wouldn't. How cute.

DP. Please tell me that you do not know that the Sami are indigenous people of Finland, similar to the indigenous people of the Americas.

But then the cute race card is never far from your weak hand

Yes, I'm familiar. I've been to northern Finland. The differences and similarities in how the Sami were/are treated is an interesting topic, but a complete tangent. The PP was implying that Finland can treat homelessness because they are homogenous (implication: racially) and that the US can't because we're not homogenous. It's racist BS and should be called out for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are tent cities because poor people can’t afford DC rents and the housing voucher waitlist has been closed since 2013. Lack of investment in services, shelters, and public housing is what causes tent homelessness. Have compassion.

Yeah, no.

Meth is everywhere, mentally ill people can't be forced to take their medicine or be hospitalized, and people don't like the rules shelters impose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are tent cities because poor people can’t afford DC rents and the housing voucher waitlist has been closed since 2013. Lack of investment in services, shelters, and public housing is what causes tent homelessness. Have compassion.

Yeah, no.

Meth is everywhere, mentally ill people can't be forced to take their medicine or be hospitalized, and people don't like the rules shelters impose.

I believe that the most recent programs from the city to dismantle these homeless encampments have included re-homing the people displaced into supportive housing (hotels with a plan to move them into apartments). You are surely right that some of these people have problems that supportive housing alone will not solve. But getting them into more permanent, safer, more sanitary housing seems like a great first step, for them and for everyone in the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in DC for 20 years, in a bunch of different neighborhoods close to downtown (dupont, logan, CH, petworth etc). I left in 2017, and visit a couple times a year (usually for work, so mostly spend time just downtown). I visited this summer for pleasure, and holy crap, what a difference from a few years ago. DC always had it's problems, and I woke up more times than i care to remember with trash or junk on my front stoop. But the tent cities are a new level of terrible. My friends were surprisingly chill about it, and I don't know why.

DC has been poor and underserved for pretty much all of modern history, so i'm not sure why "high rents" would cause this issue to first crop up in 2020. There's obviously something cultural that's changed.

+1 I lived in DC from ‘85 to 2000 before moving to the MD suburbs for work and kids’ schools. I loved DC and had such an incredible time, but the tent cities, pot smoking everywhere and even just the aggressiveness near Tenleytown when Wilson lets out is all disgusting and very sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finland’s “housing first” approach to homelessness seems supportive. They are providing housing and services for all who are homeless. It is cheaper than criminalizing homelessness or providing “safe sleeping sites” aka parking lots like we have done. It is a policy choice. Too logical and compassionate to be taken seriously in the US, I fear.

Finland does not compare to the US. Despite the Sami, they are homogeneous.

+1 Finland just doesn’t have the violent crime rates that comes with a diverse population like the US has.

Uh, I don't think it's our "diverse population" that causes our violent crime rates. Lots of very diverse countries have much lower violent crime. I wonder what it could be? What's the one thing the US is obsessed with that most other countries either heavily regulate or ban altogether? Anything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's bad enough that tents are in all the public spaces downtown, but I was dismayed driving in this morning to see a tent in one of the little green public spaces off Mass Ave near the Cathedral.

I'm worried DC will into SF (and I mean the bad parts of SF). Why are city officials letting homeless people live in tents in all the public spaces? It's unsanitary and extremely unpleasant.

I'd bet my house you are a dem.

Definitely am not a democrat!

If you are going to fake, at least, try harder.

[Anonymous]

All these people arguing that it's high rents that cause this problem have never actually talked to the people on the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are wondering what has changed and it isn't covid or policies -- it's the type of meth that has been flooding the US. There's been some recent articles about this surveying mental health providers, police and others who deal with homeless a lot. The new meth that's made from synthetic chemicals is very different than meth made even a few years ago, and it seems to be causing people to have mental problems and brain damage drastically faster than the previous type. This mental change is characterized by an extreme lack of socialization and desire to be alone, and large amount of paranoia.

Makes a ton of sense when you see what's happened with the homeless situation. A lot of them are refusing help and services.

Hey, I read one article and now I know everything.

DP. It’s not just one article. This is a real thing and it’s also not just meth but theres a shit ton of synthetic drugs that are making people beyond help. It’s common to see homeless people walking around and just screaming and looking zonked out. I’ve grown up in dc, was a teen during the crack years, and remember when there were tons of homeless everywhere on the mall. I don’t ever recall seeing the screaming zombies the way I see them now. There is something definitely new going on. Its completely unsettling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good.

+1

I want start seeing them popping up in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, North Arlington and McLean, too.

Let the people who created this problem see it everyday.

Great news! For years there has been a homeless camp in Falls Church/ Fairfax. It is located in the woods off of route 7 and Idylwood, behind St Paul’s church.

There is also a relatively new encampment under the WO&D overpass in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

The people who say this is because of housing costs have to be college students or twenty somethings who only know what their Professor told them. This is not housing costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good.

+1

I want start seeing them popping up in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, North Arlington and McLean, too.

Let the people who created this problem see it everyday.

Great news! For years there has been a homeless camp in Falls Church/ Fairfax. It is located in the woods off of route 7 and Idylwood, behind St Paul’s church.

There is also a relatively new encampment under the WO&D overpass in Arlington.

Forgot to add. There were several tents at the head of Scott’s Run behind Westgate Elementary/Baseball Fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finland’s “housing first” approach to homelessness seems supportive. They are providing housing and services for all who are homeless. It is cheaper than criminalizing homelessness or providing “safe sleeping sites” aka parking lots like we have done. It is a policy choice. Too logical and compassionate to be taken seriously in the US, I fear.

Finland does not compare to the US. Despite the Sami, they are homogeneous.

+1 Finland just doesn’t have the violent crime rates that comes with a diverse population like the US has.

Uh, I don't think it's our "diverse population" that causes our violent crime rates. Lots of very diverse countries have much lower violent crime. I wonder what it could be? What's the one thing the US is obsessed with that most other countries either heavily regulate or ban altogether? Anything?

Too much money? For buying drugs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finland’s “housing first” approach to homelessness seems supportive. They are providing housing and services for all who are homeless. It is cheaper than criminalizing homelessness or providing “safe sleeping sites” aka parking lots like we have done. It is a policy choice. Too logical and compassionate to be taken seriously in the US, I fear.

Finland does not compare to the US. Despite the Sami, they are homogeneous.

+1 Finland just doesn’t have the violent crime rates that comes with a diverse population like the US has.

Uh, I don't think it's our "diverse population" that causes our violent crime rates. Lots of very diverse countries have much lower violent crime. I wonder what it could be? What's the one thing the US is obsessed with that most other countries either heavily regulate or ban altogether? Anything?

Which country has more diverse population than the US?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finland’s “housing first” approach to homelessness seems supportive. They are providing housing and services for all who are homeless. It is cheaper than criminalizing homelessness or providing “safe sleeping sites” aka parking lots like we have done. It is a policy choice. Too logical and compassionate to be taken seriously in the US, I fear.

Finland does not compare to the US. Despite the Sami, they are homogeneous.

+1 Finland just doesn’t have the violent crime rates that comes with a diverse population like the US has.

Uh, I don't think it's our "diverse population" that causes our violent crime rates. Lots of very diverse countries have much lower violent crime. I wonder what it could be? What's the one thing the US is obsessed with that most other countries either heavily regulate or ban altogether? Anything?

Which country has more diverse population than the US?

Could you please explain how having a more diverse population causes higher rates of violent crime? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good.

+1

I want start seeing them popping up in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, North Arlington and McLean, too.

Let the people who created this problem see it everyday.

Curious how you make it through life? Because you’re pretty dumb.