Océane (@oceane)

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io

2y

There's lots of noise in SF about homeless folk "refusing shelter" and "They want to live in tents!" And that we should force them to accept the shelter against their own will, "for their own good!" Many SF folks rationalize their desire to not see homeless people, by convincing ourselves that refusing shelter is an irrational behaviour, and that we know better.

We don't consider the fact that people might be refusing shelter when that shelter is worse than a tent.

www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2023/sf-sro-empty/

1/N

24

8

0

mekka okereke

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io

2y

The cruel way forwards, is to force people to accept these substandard, dangerous conditions.

The way of kindness, is to improve the conditions at the worst places, to the level of the units that people don't refuse.

And "reducing the bureaucratic delay" involves both simplifying the application process, and not checks notes throwing away homeless people's paperwork every few months in sweeps. "Still gathering paperwork" sometimes means reapplying for documents thrown away in a sweep. 😢

2/N

4

1

0

Océane @oceane@peculiar.florist

2y

@mekkaokereke Weber's razor suggests that people's actions could be explained as justified from their own points of view, and if they can't, as legitimate, or else as irrational.

This framing might be poor and based on a misunderstanding of Weber's rationality, but it helps to cut through the noise.

⭐3

0

3