@dviss1 I'm not sure what Casey's point was, whether he was showing disgust for the homeless population around the Moda Center and Portland and sharing his doubt that the problem will get fixed because of the homeless people themselves, or if his ire and disgust are aimed at the problem itself and our local and federal governments Ill aim to fix it.
I too have been homeless and it sucks. While there are a lot of people who would prefer not to be
there are also a large number who have accepted the life and want to be homeless. I think building more transitional housing for homeless people with better programs to help them get cleaned up, dental work, find jobs, homes and get back on their feet. I know there already some of these in portland, but they can only house a small fraction of the homeless population and the transitions programs are Ill funded.
A lot of the population is runaway terms and older seniors who are disabled or have hard time finding work because of their age and so find themselves slipping through the cracks with no safety net to catch them.
It's a multifaceted problem that involves getting runaway terms home,( or if their homes aren't safe, somewhere that is) the people that can still work cleaned up and back on their feet with jobs with time to save up so they can eventually get their own place, while getting older folks on retirement, Disability, or put together some other form of funding for those that cantbwork to get them off the street. Then there is also the drug addiction issue. So, programs need to include helping those addicted get clean. It's a complex issue that needs a well out together solution. I know making homelessness illegal and putting people in jail and shooing them away or sending them away on buses to other cities is not the solution.
This issue angers me, I have seen it up close and personal. I have experienced it first hand. I know there is has not been enough done to fix it.