Paying taxes in California is kind of like putting a quarter into a broken slot machine. You get nothing, it’ll never be seen again, and there’s not even fun flashy lights.
Case in point: San Fransisco’s big idea for the state’s homeless population is to bribe them to stay in Casa del COVID with tobacco and alcohol.
Now, it is important to note that the tobacco and alcohol in question is being bought with private donations, not taxpayer money. But the rest of this useless idea is coming right out of Californians’ pockets.
The San Francisco housing program is part of a larger initiative from Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) called Project Roomkey, a plan to pay hotel owners to use 15,000 vacant rooms across the state for homeless people at-risk of coronavirus complications.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, the governor announced in early April that local governments across the state “will receive up to 75 percent cost-share reimbursements from FEMA for hotel rooms and motel rooms,” including expenses related to security, maintenance, and food.
“Homeless Californian’s [sic] are incredibly vulnerable to COVID-19 and often have no option to self-isolate or social-distance,” said Newsom. “By helping the most vulnerable homeless individuals off the street and into isolation, California can slow the spread of COVID-19 through homeless populations, lower the number of people infected and protect critical healthcare resources.”
So basically, to keep people from getting the ‘rona, California is housing homeless people in hotels for free. Then, to make sure they stay put, they distribute alcohol. (No word yet on whether we’re talking Barton’s or Grey Goose.)
“Managed alcohol and tobacco use makes it possible to increase the number of guests who stay in isolation and quarantine and, notably, protects the health of people who might otherwise need hospital care for life-threatening alcohol withdrawal,” said the health department in a statement.
The news agency reports that the people staying in hotels are screened for drug use prior to checking into the hotels, and that the department asks them whether they would like help with rehabilitation. The department also told the news agency that it has provided medical marijuana in certain circumstances, but doesn’t provide recreational marijuana.
It’s not clear whether the drugs are only available to people who want to participate in treatment, but the department has said substances are distributed by licensed doctors.
I’m pretty libertarian when it comes to drug and alcohol use (and by “pretty,” I mean completely and totally without even a little bit of wiggle room), but this just makes me angry. I think it’s great to provide shelter to people who don’t have it and expose them to treatment options with guidance from medical professionals. But what happens when the COVID crisis is over? This is the most short-sighted waste of public funds I’ve ever seen.
After the pandemic fades out and these hotels open back up for business, these homeless people will still be homeless. They will have none of the support systems, none of the resources, none of the jobs that they have right now. And what is California going to do? Toss them back out on the streets and waste more money “trying” to help get them off the streets with brilliant ideas like rent control?
Oh. Right. That’s their MO. I guess I know exactly how this ends. Nice going, Newsom.
The post San Francisco Providing Alcohol To Select Homeless Guests At Hotels So They Don’t Leave appeared first on Chicks On The Right.
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