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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – What do you do for people who won’t help themselves?
There is one trait that, most, but not all, of the homeless have in common. They are addicts. And until they are willing to give up the booze, the pot, or the pills, there’s no public policy that can be done to help them. If you’re an addict, you won’t be able to hold a job. You’ll never have money to support yourself. You’ll never be able to pay rent or a mortgage. Addiction robs people of everything.
In many larger cities, there is a policy of housing on demand. Someone who is homeless in New York or Houston is guaranteed, under city ordinance or court order, a roof over their head if they request it. So why are there thousands of people still sleeping on the streets in these cities? Because to go into a shelter, you have to be drug and booze free. And these people would rather be on the streets and strung out than be clean and sober and sleeping in a bed.
So what’s a community like Wausau to do? We have a completely vacant dormitory on the UW-Stevens Point campus that could house the homeless. I’m sure putting the unhoused next door to college students is a non-starter. The Bridge Street Mission and the Gospel TLC have housing options, but the space available is tiny compared to the need. A tiny house village has been proposed, but good luck finding a neighborhood that would accept it. And what would such an encampment look like? Probably a cluster of flop houses.
And I think there is a hierarchy in homelessness. A family where the breadwinner has been laid off, in my mind, is ahead of an addict who refuses to address their dependency problem. I believe the Salvation Army and the Women’s Community have come to similar conclusions. Families go to the head of the line. Others are sheltered on a space available basis.
I’ve said before that Wausau’s homeless population goes down dramatically in the winter, when sleeping outdoors isn’t an option. They miraculously reconcile with family members or are taken in by friends during the coldest months. They indulge their addictions once the weather improves.
A family, instead of a government program, will always be a more affirming environment for an addict who wants to get clean. That’s why I favor giving some of the homeless bus tickets to reunite with any family member who will take them in.
A part of the message in many homeless cases is this – and it’s maddening: until you are willing to get clean and help yourself, there’s very little we can do for you.
Chris Conley
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