I'd really like to know, because substance abuse is most often a symptom of poor choices and homelessness, not a root cause of homelessness. Stories like this beg the questions: what is really known about the most effective strategies for "conversion" of the homeless to self-sufficiency; and how can the media report on homelessness more insightfully?

SANTA CRUZ — Used hypodermic needles, human waste, drug paraphernalia and moldy mattresses were hauled away in dump trucks Friday from a well-established homeless camp known for its criminal activity. Protected with boots, long sleeves and two pairs of gloves, an 18-person crew with the Sheriff’s Office scoured the wooded area between Carbonera Creek and the county government’s Emeline Street complex for garbage generated by campers who made the area home.

Sheriff’s officials said the campers, who had set up makeshift toilets and a cabin, were damaging the environment, a steep hillside of redwood, bay and oak trees, as well as presenting a safety hazard to the public...."There have been a couple of stabbings and a number of people involved in criminal activities (here)," said Sgt. Todd Liberty, who oversaw the cleanup. "There have been a lot of drug sales, and a number of people under the influence of drugs."...Law enforcement officials had been warning campers for the past month that the sites would be dismantled....Liberty said Friday’s goal was not to displace the homeless but to encourage them to move to safer environments.

...According to the 2005 Homeless Survey Census released in August, there are at least 3,371 homeless individuals in the county, and 79 percent are without shelter. The lack of enough shelters forces people to camp, said Ken Cole, executive director of the Homeless Services Center...."Although the Police Department might have had good environmental and safety reasons (for dismantling the camp) the reality is there is no place for the homeless to go," he said. "There are not enough emergency shelters, not enough housing, not enough drug and alcohol treatment centers. What the police are doing is moving that problem onto another greenbelt area."

Once again, "treatment," "shelters," and unavailable, unaffordable housing in a tight and free market are proferred as answers by ClientStatists. I'm not buying it. I can't support local government spending that merely maintains the homeless at taxpayer expense. Nor can I sign-off on "programs" intended to get them back on their feet - even privately-funded efforts - if they are not performance-audited for long-term results. West Coast burgs with mild climes offer homeless services at their own risk, drawing a permanent indigent class. These guys should be working on a poultry farm in Arkansas, living cheap, saving money, and taking accounting classes at night. They are not entitled to "housing" in Santa Cruz, or Arcata, Seattle, San Francisco or Vancouver unless they can get it the same way as most others: with the fruits of their own labor. The existence of some government-subsidized housing doesn't justify taxpayers assuming, ad infinitum, the burden of those who won't help themselves

What I could support, however, would be a demonstration project, say, here in Seattle/King County, wherein trained interviewers surveyed non-intoxicated subjects to find out how they really became homless. What decisions did they make that led this way? It would also be useful if the media focused more accutely on translating for a lay audience the social science research done, to date, on exactly what methods of intervention work best for helping the homeless become, and stay, self-sufficient. The same approach is needed to heroin addiction treatment options.

The usual media coverage always seems to focus on symptoms of homelessness rather than the real, quantified causes; and solutions. We hear that alcohol and drug abuse are closely associated with homelessness, and so they are. But substance abuse often occurs after an individual has already made bad choices. Why are those choices made? Are there common threads among the homeless, in terms of their family histories? How do variables such as socio-economic status, edcuational attainment, two parents versus one, and receiving public assistance figure into the equation?

The media need to dig deeper than the latest pile of crap left by a creekside, and the latest plaint for more "treatment." They must explain how the homeless become homeless; and who is really responsible for making the homeless not-homeless. Could it be the homeless themselves, and their families?

TECHNORATI TAGS: HOMELESS, SANTA CRUZ

TO COMMENT: The regular "comment" feature is not in operation. E-mail comments to address under "Contact" on main page masthead, and I'll add them, here.

Ron Hebron: I know one cause of homelessness - child support. In some cases the level is very fair; in some it seems pretty high. But either way, some men choose to get out of paying it by becoming unable to pay it. They stop working, so they also can't pay for a place to stay. They go on the streets and live for nothing - in more than one way.

This doesn't directly fit. But we have been working with low-income people downtown for 20 months. We don't see many homeless people, except when we give stuff away. When we give away food and clothing they are there in minutes. But when week in and week out we give our time we don't see them.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at October 24, 2005 12:26 PM