So, I have suggested we span out each evening, searching for the homeless, and, if the shelters are full, then we find vacant warehouses or commercial buildings, and place the homeless there.
Some say it is not that easy. First, you would have to hire police officers to watch the now occupied warehouses.
I say, let the city or county provide the police, even if it means hiring new officers.
Some say it still isn't that easy. The reason so many people are on the streets, is that they won't come into the shelters because they are on drugs, and drugs aren't allowed in the shelters.
Supposedly, anyway.
At any rate, now you are hitting on one of the basic questions of how to take care of the homeless. Do you let the alcoholics and drug addicts in? If you don't, they remain on the streets. And, if you leave addicts and alcoholics on the streets, you leave a big part of the homeless on the streets.
I suggest you've got to give them beds.
One idea would be to pardon them for using a limited amount of drugs while they are there. Search them, to make sure they are not bringing in enough to be dealing, then let them in.
And, lock them up. By locking the doors, you prevent drug dealers from coming to distribute. The drug addict has to leave the shelter each day to get his fix, as he (or she) is allowed no more drugs than are suffice for the night.
Such a shelter would help separate the users from the homeless who are not on drugs and alcohol, as you could have a separate shelter for the non-users. As is, I would guess a lot of drugs are in the shelters. Perhaps you give the homeless drug tests, but once they are in there, they then return to the use of drugs. I'm sure many non-users do not like being under the same roof with users, thus scaring them back into the streets.
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