Guest Op/Ed: Tackling Our Homeless Problem

I spent some of my day responding to nonsense, and so I want to spend some time writing on a subject that I think is serious and growing by the day: the homeless problem.

The homeless problem is a problem – it’s a public health, safety, and welfare concern. When attacking problems, I like to break them down into their smallest components and figure those out.

Here in Bradenton, there are homeless people, veterans, and families, and then there is mental health and addiction.

There are federal programs I can easily point to and say, "expand them, problem solved,“ like the VASH Voucher program, a voucher program that helps veterans with rent payments. But those programs are severely lacking.

I like to actually try and solve problems – bad ideas first.

I’ve heard my opponent say, "the city should not be in the landlord business,“ and I tend to agree, but everyone talks about doing more for our veterans. Maybe we actually can do more for our veterans who need it.

The city already has vacant lots just sitting there, mostly eye sores, fenced-in parking lots like the one on 14th St Ct W and 9th Ave W, across from the Bradenton Shuffleboard Club.

It needs rehab, but I know a few TBT readers that can tear that lot apart a put something there to be proud of in a few months. There are other examples of similar lots scattered throughout the city – fenced-in eye sores, just sitting there. A few tiny house communities for homeless veterans, instead of housing them in an old jail, could really put a dent in the problem. I think these communities would thrive.

Like I said, bad ideas first.

Second, I want to tackle addiction, because the tools are already there, but some of them have been made illegal by the federal government, namely, ibogaine, which, if administered correctly, can disrupt physical addiction completely and permanently.

Someday, I’d like to be able to offer people who get picked up by BPD, with their informed consent, the option of being treated with ibogaine if it’s appropriate for the situation.

That leaves the broader homeless population and people with severe mental health issues. If the homeless veteran communities are successful, that could be a model for the broader homeless population, but at that point, the city should get out of the landlord business–I think.

Mental health is not an issue I think I can fix. I can encourage people to take more vitamins, because if you are reading this, you need them, to get out and run, because it’s a great time to work something out in your head, and alwaysmutepharmaceutical ads when they come on.

75 percent of all TV advertising money spent is pharmaceutical and this is where I think the government needs to step in soon and screw with the free market. I’m a free market advocate, but there are limits, and I believe this is one of them.

I think it’s a fight worth picking to make pharmaceutical advertising illegal in Bradenton. It’s meant to pick a bigger legal battle. We cannot continue to wait for other municipalities and governmental counterparts to do something. The United States is one of only two countries in the world that allows pharma to advertise, the other being New Zealand, and they are stricter than us.

These solutions aren’t bank breakers. Tiny houses can cost anywhere from $15K-$50K per unit. Ibogaine costs $50-$100 and it's a one-time treatment. The cost to make pharma ads illegal in Bradenton is nominal, but defending that in court could be costly, however, we could get outside support, and I think we would.

With a $55M surplus, we could do all of this and still lower taxes next year. Or we can just continue to shovel more money to developers and look the other way. Like I said: bad ideas first.