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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is exactly the problem. The people that run homeless shelters should help you not cops.

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Yes,yes, YES!!! 
If the non emergency line could instead send a social worker to bring him somewhere safe, he wouldn't relocate to another vestibule, or street resulting in him getting injured or sick.

You weren't wrong OP. I get your choice. But the system needs a better solution. [/quote]

All of these people have been approached by a social worker at some time or have been referred to somewhere safe to sleep, even by the police.  They are sleeping on the street because they don't prefer shelters for a variety of reasons.

The solution would be institutions for in-patient mental health/substance abuse treatment, but it would take a lot more than just a visit from a social worker to get them there.

- MSW [/quote]

sad that an MSW apparently has no knowledge of the Housing First model?[/quote]

The housing first model has limitations...as evidenced by this scenario.

DC embraced housing first, yet we still have people on the street. LA, Seattle, SF, NYC all embraced housing first before dc...it’s not a silver bullet.

People have rights; nobody can be forced inside.

The best approach is holistic prevention. Hindsight being 20/20, housing first should not have focused exclusively on backend housing without investing in upstream prevention. It’s really hard to persuade some people to come inside and take advantage of help after years on the street.

Given the resistance to help, specialty courts run hand in hand with community based providers are effective. Of course, you need to invest in housing, treatment and services. But the court plays a pivotal role in engagement, compliance and success. [/quote]

I still don’t think you understand. Housing First is giving someone a home, not “help.” And there is still a shortage.  And what’s with the nonsequitur on courts? 
[/quote]

Um, I actually have written about and presented at National and international conferences on the topic. I’ve literally dedicated my career to homeless prevention and advocacy...which is how I know the limitations of Housing First.

Specialty treatment courts are an effective tool when properly resourced and implemented as they are equipped to coax people into housing and treatment.

DC implemented a housing first approach yet they struggle to persuade many people to participate even when offered a key to their own apartment. What then? A treatment court (mental health/behavioral health) is an effective tool to get reluctant participants inside and on meds. The data supports this.

Bottom line: there’s no easy solution...including Housing First. Just ask LA, SF, NYC, Seattle, etc. They were the innovators, early adopters, and biggest investors in HF yet...

[/quote]

why do you keep on mentioning courts? do you propose we sweep up homeless people and send them to jail for being homeless? it’s not illegal to be homeless, mentally ill, or drug addicted. I suggest you talk to more people at these conferences. 
[/quote]

Have you done homeless street outreach?

As a lawyer, I understand that you cannot arrest people for being homeless. Similarly, you cannot force people into treatment and housing without the courts.

Mentally ill addicts who have been on the streets for years are highly vulnerable. Do you think the moral thing to do is leave them alone on the street to die? I do not. I think coordinated engagement is key.

Similarly, I understand that some (not all, but many) mentally ill addicts on the street come into contact with police when they steal, break into homes/cars/businesses, urinate in public and walk around half naked, act out violently, etc. I do not believe they should simply be churned through the criminal justice system. There’s a better way: it’s called a mental health court (sometimes called a behavioral health court). The goal is to stabilize the mentally ill addict and connect them to housing and case management with a social worker, psychiatrist, etc. Jail isn’t the goal. Judges are specially trained and the courtroom includes a comprehensive team of community based providers. Success means the person is housed (often their own apartment, sometimes a group home/safe haven), has the support of a team to sustain treatment and care, and ultimately no return to homelessness. Again: jail isn’t the goal.

[/quote]

how do you propose to constitutionally force people into long-term treatment for minor crimes when they aren’t a danger to themselves or others? did you skip con law? “mental health court” is for involuntary committment, not to force the chronically homeless into shelters.

what actually does work is keeping this all out of the penal system and implementing a housing first model. [/quote]

Housing First works for some. But the carrot of HF doesn’t work when mentally ill people refuse to participate.

Google what is happening in LA, SF, and Seattle. They were early adopters of HF. They’ve invested heavily in HF. Yet, they have thousands of “service resistant” people suffering on the streets. Is that humane?

Nobody is proposing locking these people up or even sending them to mental health facilities (which BTW don’t really exist in the way you envision from watching movies). Rather, I’m highlighting how treatment courts have documented success in stabilizing mentally ill people and helping them sustain stable housing independently with community based support services.

You could educate yourself on the best practice. Or you can simply criticize me personally as being clueless or cruel. (I’m not bothered by your silly criticism. Decades on the frontlines fighting for systemic change helped me develop a thick skin.)

To be clear: I’m not against HF. It’s a great philosophy that prompted a sea change in homeless services. But it’s not a silver bullet. Nearly two decades later, we need to evaluate its shortcomings...starting with the need for holistic upstream intervention focused on prevention as well as the continued need for other housing options and services. [/quote]

show me where all those cities have an immediate supply of housing first housing for all their chronic homeless people. [/quote]

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