"The most basic of conservative principles is that if you reward bad behavior you get more of it." ~ Mark Steyn
On March 20, 2024 Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1365 into Florida state law. HB 1365 forbids people from sleeping or camping in public places with specific intent to deter homeless encampments.
What is homelessness?
Any attempt to solve a problem must begin with defining it. Not surprisingly, the federal government has multiple descriptions and categories but they are all derivatives of the principal definition listed in US Code 42, Chapter 119, Subchapter 11302:
“an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence;”
So when the noise is filtered out; homeless persons are individuals lacking a permanent roof over their heads at bedtime.
What are the main causes?
Although homelessness is a clearly defined concept; its causes are varied and are generally related to severe mental illness and/or substance abuse. Domestic violence and poverty are homeless contributors but are often symptomatic of underlying psychiatric and addiction issues. It is worth noting that the loss of psychiatric hospitals over the last 50 years has resulted in increased numbers of mentally ill homelessness and incarceration.
Is this a growing problem?
Although homeless encampments have received much attention of late (particularly in large urban environments) the premise that it is a rising trend is not clear. From 2007 through 2022 (the only years of available data) the homeless population actually decreased from a high of 647,258 (2007) to 582,462 in 2022. The change, though small, is downward when viewing the 15-year period.
Can the problem be corrected?
The opening quote from Mark Steyn is simple common sense. Reward poor behavior and you will promote more of it. The opposite holds true: Penalize poor behavior and you will reduce it. HB 1365 is an initial step to discourage the behavior seen in “enlightened” cities and the unsurprising rise of homeless camps.
Does HB 1365 solve the lack of fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residences? No, but it does take an important first step: penalize municipalities that tolerate encampments. The bill requires counties to designate safe shelters by October and the legislature to provide specialized services (see bullet points) to promote mental health and substance abuse recovery.
Tough love
Responsible parents recognize that tough love is often necessary when dealing with destructive behavior. Refusing to support or feed into the “drama” associated with bad life choices is consistent with penalizing poor choices.
Remember this is a DECLINING problem and even well intended criticisms feed into media hysteria (indirect rewarding). One thing responsible citizens can control is what we choose to consume. Be willing to change the channel, resist the click, walk away from the “advocate,” etc. Be judicious with your attention when encountering the subject of homeless encampments.
Offer alternatives and be willing to enforce penalties
Governor DeSantis indicated at HB 1365 signing that he would press legislators to “lean into” assisting local government funding for drug abuse and vocational outreach programs through state grants to counties. Subsidizing vocational and recovery programs is only part of the equation. Participants must demonstrate progress by meeting immediate and long term goals or face loss of assistance (paragraphs 4 & 5).
This carrot and stick approach has been used successfully in the past (1996 Welfare Reform Law). The inevitable hue and cry associated with true reform measures must be muted by factual rebuttal. Florida has taken a principled first step towards elimination of homeless encampments.
It is up to “We the People” to insist on humane but firm implementation.
