Housing the homeless has been shown to work for a good percentage of folks. But no one wants to talk about where they are to go. And keep in mind, housing has to be in a city to provide job opportunities, access to counseling and social workers. Also, what about the ones for whom temp housing doesn't/can't lift them to their feet?

The ugly truth is that many (most?) are addicted to drugs or alcohol and/or suffer mental illnesses that often include antisocial behaviors. You want those types of people roaming your neighborhood? If you say you're fine with that, you're either lying or have never spent time around the homeless.

Worked downtown for 7-years and they were a constant hassle. One guy was pestering my wife and I told him to fuck off, about got jumped but his buddies didn't look interested in backing him. Another guy wanted to fight me at lunch one day, in the middle of a huge crowd, because I told him, sorry, I don't carry cash. On two occasions, same night, two guys got upset when I wouldn't give them money and followed my wife and I through the French Quarter.

Aside from potential violence, they trash everywhere they go. At my last job, another downtown, the office was surrounded by liquor bottles and filth. And yes, there was more than one dumpster, like the one they slept next to.

Anecdotally, I knew two guys who had a clean place to stay and just said fuck it, living with people is too much pressure, rather live on the streets. What about people like them?

Feel sorry for them all you want, I do, but we have to figure out where to put this housing. One upbeat note, if you can call it that, many of today's homeless are victims of our housing prices. Those are exactly the sort who just need a leg up and for whom free housing would work best.