We closed the mental institutions. Also, drugs were not as prevalent in the 60s and 70s. Drug addiction has skyrocketted. Even if we had never closed the mental institutions, the high rates of drug addiction would probably mean we would have more homeless today than back then because there simply could not be enough institutions to house them all. Not by a long shot.
Why is drug addiction so widespread? That, I don’t know. Has something to do with modern culture, lower morals over all, break up of the nuclear family, etc. I don’t know for sure.
The 20-something year olds of the 1980s...got into cocaine/crack....then had kids. As adults and parents....they were lousy parents, and the kids are now 30 to 40 years old....are products of that lousy generation.
There’s a great series on YouTube called ‘Soft White Underbelly’ where the moderator interviews homeless from LA. Lot of insight...various dynamics of poor parents skills that lead to the kid being ‘losers’ later in life. Fixing this is practically impossible...too many of them.
“We closed the mental institutions. Also, drugs were not as prevalent in the 60s and 70s.”
It’s enforcement mostly.
When I was a kid the cops would pick up bums, drive them to the edge of town and beat their ass.
Every city and town would do the same, making the bums reconsider their lifestyle.
Plus, China is running the Opium Wars at us.
They have a long memory.
Fentanyl & Meth.
Keep Legalizing Marijuana...That is a known GATEWAY drug.
For a start try China and the cartels in Mexico.