I would agree with you if those places didn't end up being worse than prisons...
Thing is, the streets are worse than (Canadian) prisons, too. It's not unheard-of for homeless people to ask judges to please send them to jail.
But more significantly: We need to fix mental health institutions. Saying "making functional mental health institutions is hard, let's go ride bikes" is fundamentally failing in our obligations to the mentally ill.
Another big issue is failing to provide a social security network that actually works in that it helps those in real need and has enough of an incentive to get out of the program again.
There seem to be only two versions of this, one that leaves people without incentive to go back to work (the European model) and another that says 'you're on your own' tough luck.
Another thing that jumped out at me in these stories was the lady that had daughters but was living on the street anyway. If my mom were about to be homeless she'd be living here, not on the street and I'm sure my brother and sister would think about it just the same.
Another big issue is failing to provide a social security network that actually works in that it helps those in real need and has enough of an incentive to get out of the program again.
Canada's welfare system is just fine, actually. The "Jason" in the article is a good example of how it works -- shortly after becoming homeless, he talked to the welfare office, he found an apartment which rented for the standard welfare rate, and if he hasn't already moved in, he almost certainly will within the next week. The vast majority of instances of homelessness are resolved quickly in exactly this manner.
Why doesn't this happen for the small minority who end up being long-term homeless? To a very large extent, it comes down to one thing: Mentally ill people aren't very good at doing paperwork. People who are addicted to drugs or are schizophrenic aren't very likely to accomplish the steps Jason went through to get welfare-funded housing.
It's not unheard-of for homeless people to ask judges to please send them to jail.
There's a fairly simple algorithm to ending up in jail: commit a crime and get caught for it. I wonder why you don't see more of that if homeless people are so desperate for shelter. (Though if they're mentally ill, that might explain why it doesn't occur to them, or why they're not terribly effective at making and implementing effective plans.)
There's a fairly simple algorithm to ending up in jail: commit a crime and get caught for it.
For minor crimes, that's ineffective: You'll be arrested, charged, and released back onto the streets with an order to turn up in court at a later date.
As for why such people don't commit more serious crimes -- homeless people aren't (necessarily) psychopaths. Wanting to have a warm place to sleep and decent meals doesn't mean that they'll go out and kill someone just to get themselves arrested.
There was an article in the past few months (or maybe longer, if it was a reading assignment) about one homeless man in NYC that had a yearly tradition of putting on his nicest coat, going to a fancy restaurant and eating a large meal, and then saying he couldn't pay. He would then go to jail for the winter. He cost the city upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
So yes, it happens, and yes, it is far more expensive than simply providing the necessary social services to begin with.
Thing is, the streets are worse than (Canadian) prisons, too. It's not unheard-of for homeless people to ask judges to please send them to jail.
But more significantly: We need to fix mental health institutions. Saying "making functional mental health institutions is hard, let's go ride bikes" is fundamentally failing in our obligations to the mentally ill.