@ISIDEWITHQuestionsHousing IssuesStarted 3yrs agoActive 2hrs ago

Should homeless individuals, that have refused available shelter or housing, be allowed to sleep or encamp on public property?

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 112k Australia voters.

54%
Yes
46%
No
36%
Yes
45%
No
17%
Yes, and create more social programs to provide free food, clothing, and medicine
1%
No, and make it a criminal offense
0%
Yes, but only in designated areas
0%
No, but create more social programs to provide free food, clothing, and medicine
0%
Yes, to sleep but not encamp

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 112k Australia voters.

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Trend of how important this issue is for 112k Australia voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Australia voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @932FW2Manswered…3yrs3Y

Yes, and we should look at why they have refused available shelter i.e. maybe they have had bad experiences before

 @B4TQW97answered…21hrs21H

Yes and provide a service to find out why they refused the service. maybe something bad happen that negatively impacted their experience.
As a general point, we should have proper shelters and housing options for homeless people. They deserve a safe and covered environment to live, no matter their situation.

 @B4PGJWW answered…1wk1W

Yes, in designated areas and create more social programs to provide free food, clothing, and medicine

 @B4FP5JRanswered…3wks3W

Public building such as abandoned hospitals, office building etc should be opened for those with no criminal history. Sometimes people just get dealt a rough hand. Staying in some available crisis centres can be far more dangerous and scary than just sleeping tucked away in a reserve

 @B4F3MZQanswered…3wks3W

Councils should incentify unused commercial buildings to have ‘caretakers’ and then offer homeless people the ability to live rent free in return for keeping the place tidy.

 @B4F2FDTanswered…3wks3W

Yes, homeless people don’t WANT to be homeless. Rejecting for good reason: pets, proximity to supports/family etc is VALID. Other people may reject to live in available shelter or housing because they chose to live out of vans/caravans for other reasons. Gov should provide MORE free camps.

 @B4D84C6answered…3wks3W

No. These shelters and/or housing are the efforts put forth to aid them to improve their own safety. If they chose to not take that aid, it not only puts themselves at risk but also means the efforts into shelters/housing is not being utilized.

 @B4BL5YXanswered…3wks3W

No, but exceptions/investigations made as to why they refused the shelter/housing. Create more social programs to provide free food, clothing, and medicine

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…6mos6MO

Drug Crisis Prompts Portland to Reboot City Government

In a sign of either hope or desperation, Portland voters decided to throw out their entire government structure and replace it with a weaker mayor, expanded City Council and ranked choice voting.A major driving factor was the passage of “Measure 110” decriminalizing all drugs in 2020, which was backed by 74 percent of Multnomah County’s residents. Voters couldn’t — or at least didn’t — anticipate how this policy change would reshape a city already strapped for money, dealing with a public health crisis and confronting rising rates of homelessness and fentanyl abuse.Drug use shot up, homelessness worsened and taxpayers fled.“Political rhetoric in 2020-2021 in the City of Portland was incredibly ideologically driven,” Gonzalez said, explaining that there was a “default conversation” on topics like homelessness or police reform that shut down an exchange of ideas.The City Council race, meanwhile, is mayhem. Portland is switching from four at-large seats to twelve seats representing four districts. The dozens of candidates include Black Lives Matter leaders, nonprofit advocates, business owners and police officers.There are 19 people running for mayor and 98 people seeking seats on the City Council. They’re nearly all campaigning on left-of-center platforms — this is Portland.Pandemic closures, protests, elevated crime rates and rising homelessness buffeted many liberal cities in recent years, including San Francisco and Minneapolis. But policy choices made by the city and state aggravated their impact in Portland.The ramifications are measurable: Nearly 12,000 people moved out of Multnomah County between 2020 and 2023, per data from Portland State University. The exodus between 2020 and 2021 alone took nearly $1.1 billion in taxable income out of the city, according to data analyzed by the Economic Innovation Group. Portland’s once bustling downtown is nearly empty, and a negative national reputation clouds its economic future.Drug decriminalization and the city’s open camping rules compounded the feeling of insecurity. Homeless encampments spread through empty public spaces and filled sidewalks during the lockdown, and some became epicenters for the fentanyl trade. Even Portlanders who voted for decriminalization and believe in a compassionate approach to homelessness didn’t feel as safe in their own neighborhoods.

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