[the_absurdist]

In the US we must stop referring to drug addicts as "homeless" when they have been turned away from public or temporary housing because they have elected to do drugs instead.

It's obvious that this creates a misleading perception among the public about the causes of people living outside the social norm of paying for the right to stay in a private space.

The danger of that is that when unchecked, the public votes and government acts based on this misconception. That converts to public policy which aims to solve the wrong problem at the cost of the wrong people.

[lpapez]

> they have elected to do drugs instead

It does not work like that. You don't elect addiction, it is not a choice. Quitting is also not easy.

Try to have some empathy for people instead of judging their situation, you don't know what led to it.

[jeffbee]

The state with the most drug addicts also has the least homelessness. The two problems are largely not related.

[oh_sigh]

One weird trick to solve homelessness: make the environment so unforgiving that any homeless people sleeping rough will die.

[turquoisevar]

Ah yes, the “you’re measuring it wrong” solution of things.

If we don’t look for it then it doesn’t exist.

At least the username checks out.