We should focus on treating mental illness

An article in the Wall Street Journal this week describes political actions beginning in the 1960s that led to the closing of state psychiatric hospitals and loss of 450,000 mental-hospital beds. We know that a large number of the homeless suffer from mental illness, and they are often the scariest to encounter. They are also the most innocent: Taunts of “get a job” or “they chose to use drugs” do not apply. They are most deserving of our sympathy and assistance.

Whether it is the bipartisan proposal in Washington, D.C., outlined in the cited article or some other remedy, I suggest that we concentrate on the mentally ill and solve one homeless problem at a time. Just providing housing may not be the cure-all it is touted to be, and given the large number of homeless, one must doubt whether we can afford it.