Meanwhile at a S.F. Walgreens

[eissa]

62. It's going to take a massive amount of resources

The answer is not just housing, which homeless advocates insist is the only solution. We have to address the root causes: addiction and mental health. Any free housing must come with MANDATORY drug/mental health treatment. We can't have one without the other. If we don't address the reason they're on the streets, they'll end up right back there again.

What isn't working is making excuses and enabling actions such as these thefts. This isn't because "housing is expensive." California is more than just SF and LA. There are plenty of communities up and down the Central Valley and northern CA where rent isn't as exorbitant. I'm not saying it's cheap, but it's better. And if it isn't, maybe the state isn't where you should be. This myth that someone just lost their job and *POOF* they're homeless is nonsense. There are social safety programs available, and while they are limited in scope, they do help those who seek it.

We always hear the left complain that this all started with Reagan closing down the mental hospitals. Well, we've been in charge of this state for a long time since then - open them back up. Take those abandoned buildings/malls and convert them into clinics and hospitals. The amount of money we spend on this crisis has been wasteful given the lack of results, we need to move in another direction.