Mark wrote:The salvation Army site, who do as much for the homless and mentally ill on the streets as any group...simply states why people become homeless, as i did in th beginning of this thread...you want to ignore these factors, and blame it solely on rent...which is missing the mark.
There may be a certain *at risk* profile for homelessness that the boilerplate you cite from Salvation Army and related sites capture; a profile that includes high rates of substance abuse and mental illness, but there can be unique circumstances that buck the trend. For instance, if there's a hurricane, and suddenly a swath of residents caught in the storm are homeless, are you going to say I'm blaming the hurricane and ignoring drugs? The fast rising housing costs in LA and Seattle recently are somewhat like that hurricane.
Mark wrote:If 26% of homeless people are veterans, and 76% are addicts/alcoholics and mentally ill...how does that fit into the HUD study?
I think you misunderstand the link you provided. Try to understand what's being said, don't just look for what you want to see -- as Screech has been saying.
Mark's Link wrote:Of these of national veterans who are homeless, according to the Veterans Administration, we know...76% experience alcohol, drug or mental health problems
of the VETERANS -- NATIONALLY -- DURING OR PRIOR TO 2015 -- 76% have those problems. NOT the general homeless population. We will come back to the general population, but now consider that this very high statistic for veterans tells us something interesting. Are veterans lazy, pot-smoking party culture guys with no responsibility? Is the real problem with veterans the big gateway drug called Marijuana that leads to hard drugs like Heroin and then brain damage and so that's why they become mentally disabled? There is some good information on your links that should challenge your views on life from many different angles.
But lets get back to the percentage of the homeless on drugs. Your new site says:
Mark's link wrote:Many factors can contribute to a person becoming homeless.....26% are addicted to other substances
If I do the math from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority that I cited in my last link, it shows that 25% have "substance abuse" issues (in 2015). (it's unclear whether this counts alcohol too -- your new article breaks it out). But hold on -- your new article is quoting national averages, not a specific survey of downtown LA. Most importantly, this new article WAS WRITTEN IN 2015. Recall, the big jump in homelessness that's really blowing minds is 2016-2017. It's in 2017 that the "substance abuse" statistic drops from 25% to 16%. What does that tell you Mark? It's telling you that something atypical is going on in LA right now. If it were a hurricane, that would explain why the post-hurricane statistics would see the typical *at risk* profile characteristics diluted. In this case, it's not a hurricane, but dramatically rising rents.