13 Oct '14 11:54>1 edit
"The fact is that it appears giving homeless people a place to live saves taxpayers money.
[...]each individual homeless person can cost taxpayers as much as $41,000 a year (particularly in cases where said homeless person has severe mental health issues, as many of them do). As a society, we've already decided that "let them die" isn't acceptable, but that means we have to bear the costs of a population with health problems caused by exposure to the elements and eating whatever food the rats have already rejected.
[...]
In areas such as Nashville, where some organizations are trialing the homes for hobos concept, they found that even the chronically ill or mentally unstable cost the government less if they're in a home than if they're on a park bench -- one estimate puts it at $16,281 less per year.
[...]
But let's face it: the real obstacle to this isn't the government, it's us. We simply can't stand the thought of somebody staying in a house rent-free while we bust our ass to pay our mortgage every month. So, we'll continue to pay the premium to keep them on the streets, out of spite."
original article here: http://www.cracked.com/article_21329_5-tiny-common-sense-changes-that-would-save-world_p2.html
[...]each individual homeless person can cost taxpayers as much as $41,000 a year (particularly in cases where said homeless person has severe mental health issues, as many of them do). As a society, we've already decided that "let them die" isn't acceptable, but that means we have to bear the costs of a population with health problems caused by exposure to the elements and eating whatever food the rats have already rejected.
[...]
In areas such as Nashville, where some organizations are trialing the homes for hobos concept, they found that even the chronically ill or mentally unstable cost the government less if they're in a home than if they're on a park bench -- one estimate puts it at $16,281 less per year.
[...]
But let's face it: the real obstacle to this isn't the government, it's us. We simply can't stand the thought of somebody staying in a house rent-free while we bust our ass to pay our mortgage every month. So, we'll continue to pay the premium to keep them on the streets, out of spite."
original article here: http://www.cracked.com/article_21329_5-tiny-common-sense-changes-that-would-save-world_p2.html