According to Stein’s Law (named for renowned economist Herbert Stein), “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.”
Such was the case when Denver authorities finally moved two weeks ago to clear out makeshift camps of homeless people that had been unlawfully spreading on sidewalks and other public property.
The homeless come in different categories. One size doesn’t fit all. Many are substance abusers. There are those who are out of work, down on their luck and destitute. Some are free-spirited, willful, societal dropouts. Others, especially in the summer, are healthy young vagabonds going through a stage in life. And a great number are mentally ill.
In the 1970s, groups like the ACLU won court battles to force the release of patients incarcerated in psychiatric institutions, even if they were unable to care for themselves. For many, this turned out to be abandonment, not liberation, and it accounts for much of the homeless population today.
Predictably, the ACLU and homeless activist groups were outraged at the recent action of Denver authorities to clean up the homeless camps. That was to be expected. These groups have a narrow, dogmatic focus with little concern for the bigger picture and its consequences.
No one has a right to occupy public property or someone else’s private property for personal use. The camps were a health and safety hazard and a public nuisance. How would you like to have one sprout up and expand on the sidewalk outside your home, your business or in a public park where you like to recreate?
There’s also the festering problem on Denver’s 16th Street Mall with street people and beggars sleeping in doorways and harassing passersby. It makes downtown an unappealing place for shoppers, tourists, diners and night clubbers.
With many other competing venues to enjoy in the metro area, this is bad for downtown businesses and residents, resulting in a loss of jobs and tax revenues, some portion of which, ironically, would go to “people in need.” As Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has noted, “The moment we lose downtown as a place people want to go for entertainment, recreation or a place to live, we lose the heart of Denver.”
Our compassionate society isn’t inclined to let homeless people “die in the streets.” Local and federal programs make financial aid and medical care available to them. Homeless shelters in Denver do their part, but some of the homeless reject the rules and restrictions at those places and refuse to stay there, coveting their “independence.” So what’s to be done?
This is a thorny dilemma, with civil rights laws clashing with economic and societal realities. I don’t have a magic answer, but I do have a partial remedy — inspired by the successful Step 13 addiction recovery program in Denver —─ for those who want temporary assistance. I first proposed it in a column about 15 years ago describing a community assistance center funded publicly and with private contributions.
The center would be clean and functional but austere. It would serve as a halfway house, not a permanent residence. It wouldn’t be a jail; residents would be free to come and go. But it would have rules and discipline. Room and board would be provided along with clothing. The center would have an infirmary, and alcohol and drug rehab programs. Residents would be required to work at the center, performing maintenance, food service and other duties. They’d be assisted in finding outside employment with instruction and placement services, and from their wages they’d pay a nominal fee during their stay.
This arrangement wouldn’t be attractive or practical for all the homeless. It’s not a panacea but it would be a bridge for those who truly want to improve their lives and be productive members of society.
Mike Rosen is a KOA News Radio personality.
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