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The city government does virtually nothing to help address the situation in any kind of meaningful, helpful way.

What would the city do that would be meaningful to addicts. My father’s youngest brother became a career drunk. He lived to get drunk every day. Nothing else. He literally drank himself to death at age 45. For people who only live for their next high or drunk what can be done other than a Devils Island type of complete isolation and then most will immediately reoffend.

I am sorry to hear about your uncle. There have been similar tragic outcomes in my family.

There are many different kinds of drug addiction recovery programs, and alcoholic recovery programs, and some have more effective long-term outcomes than others.

Are you of the belief that no one can permanently overcome drug addiction, or alcoholism? If so, I strongly disagree with you, and I have personally witnessed success stories in these areas myself.

It is my understanding that all the City of Philadelphia does for all those addicts who live on the streets around Kensington Avenue in Philly, is to remove the body, when someone living there dies.

Some local religious groups come around at times in a truck to distribute sandwiches and other things to these addicts living on the street.

It is hard for me to believe that you cannot think of one thing the city could do to help these people, other than to remove their bodies when they die. I can think of many things they could do. For example, Philly is a "sanctuary city", and welcomes illegal aliens, and finds lodging for them, as well as many other amenities. Instead of welcoming additional illegals (many of whom are drug pushers), and providing all kinds of help for them, they could use that money to help their own suffering citizens first.

After getting them off the streets (like they currently do for the illegals), and cleaning the filthy place on the street up, they could also coordinate additional assistance from various addiction recovery programs, as well as food assistance, and various other services, which could be tied into some kinds of workfare programs. It would still be cheaper than all the money they lavish on these illegal immigrants.

(I have to say goodnight now, but if you don't think there is any chance the city could do a lot more to address these issues, we will just have to agree to disagree. By the way, did you watch any of those youtube videos of Kensington Ave. in Philly that I linked to in my post #46?)