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“We spend billions in a year to manage homelessness and that investment is not getting good returns, because the homelessness crisis is only growing.” It’s hard to argue with that. So what are the other options? What if money was given directly to the homeless? A B.C. study gave 50 homeless people $7,500 each. Here’s what they spent it on. “They did not spend more money on alcohol or drugs, contrary to what people believe, and instead they spent the money on rent, food, housing, transit, furniture, a used car, clothes. It’s entirely the opposite of what people think they’re going to do with the money.”

+ Another strategy is to identify cities that have dealt effectively with the problem and then copy them. How Houston Cut Its Homeless Population by Nearly Two-Thirds.