Stop Criminalizing Poverty
House People, Don’t Criminalize Them
We have a large houseless population, yet somehow “luxury apartments” are the only new buildings going up. Can we just house the houseless already? Give them access to healthcare and mental health treatment. Give them caseworkers and support with education or job placement. Why are we criminalizing people for being poor?
Do people realize many in the houseless population are kids who aged out of foster care? They turn 18 and are suddenly expected to survive entirely on their own — often without family, resources, or a safety net. They started life at a disadvantage, and we pile more obstacles on them instead of offering support.
I constantly hear the argument that they’re “just drug users” who “don’t want help.” That’s false. Even if some are struggling with addiction, they are still human beings deserving of support. Everyone deserves access to help.
It shouldn’t be this hard to survive in the first place. Honestly, take all the resources spent on policing the houseless and redirect them to affordable housing, case management, and support programs. We spend billions policing poverty while ignoring solutions that could actually help people thrive. How long are we going to keep pretending this is acceptable?
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