It's interesting that in recognizing the very real resource constraints, the first place you think to look to tighten the belt is how many of the homeless are from another state.

These sketchy motels are just privatizing public housing. They provide unstable, incredibly low quality housing, and they're really expensive. Why do we allow for-profit motels that are otherwise nonviable businesses to survive by siphoning money from state coffers intended to house those in need? It's so wildly inefficient, and yet for some reason we accept it as - I don't even know what to put here - the best we can do? The "proper" role of government?

Let's have proper public housing. Instead of leaving our neighbors down on their luck in gross motels on and off without kitchens or reliable sources of transportation, let's give them a real chance to get back on their feet, and save money while doing it.