They closed them originally not because of money but politics
Geraldo Rivera.....google it .....he single handed got the notion of committing wandering crazy folks ended
We had state mental institutions with campuses or campi as Rush says
It ain’t perfect but it beats crazy folks talking to people who aren’t there walking the streets pooping or cutting one another
The drug and alcohol addicted on the streets who overlap is more complicated
Often they are street hobos by choice
There are definitely those who avoid facilities (often because of drug addiction), but up here we live in states that can barely afford to maintain roads - how would we pay for these facilities?