Regarding the homeless encampments, is there a summary of the many connected issues involved in trying to address these issues?
For example:
• How many people, in the given population, are addicted to drugs? Which drugs?
• How many have a type of mental illness, and what manner of illness? What treatments are even potentially available to these various populations? How should we treat the addictions? If all the drugs were confiscated without any treatment plan, wouldn’t that lead to a huge increase in theft and violence?
• How, where and what do they buy, cook and eat for food?
• How do they police themselves to deter crime? They have their own culture in the encampment. How does it work?
There must be many other questions we need answers to in order to address these problems. The single-answer ideas and responses are irresponsible and a waste of time and money.
Benson Dana
Cape Elizabeth
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