Encampments do not represent the entire homeless community. Those most visible encampments, littered with garbage and needles, are largely addicts or sometimes people with mental health issues.
Shuffling people around combats the street barricades and open air Fenty and gives respite to the communities that were hosting the camps.
Yes, you’re right about this being only the visible part of the homeless population. It’s tough to really track down on the not so visible side of homelessness. There probably are many people living in cars, crashing at friend’s houses, etc.
I wont deny that living or being next to these camps is terrible. I took the bus along that route and I would never get off there because you never know what could happen there. But while shuffling people around does have benefits, it doesn’t solve the problem of homelessness (no matter what the city says). Lots of this stem from the overall lack of safety nets, housing, education, etc. A tremendous task, but I’d love to see progress being made.
Encampments do not represent the entire homeless community. Those most visible encampments, littered with garbage and needles, are largely addicts or sometimes people with mental health issues.
Shuffling people around combats the street barricades and open air Fenty and gives respite to the communities that were hosting the camps.
Yes, you’re right about this being only the visible part of the homeless population. It’s tough to really track down on the not so visible side of homelessness. There probably are many people living in cars, crashing at friend’s houses, etc.
I wont deny that living or being next to these camps is terrible. I took the bus along that route and I would never get off there because you never know what could happen there. But while shuffling people around does have benefits, it doesn’t solve the problem of homelessness (no matter what the city says). Lots of this stem from the overall lack of safety nets, housing, education, etc. A tremendous task, but I’d love to see progress being made.