‘Triage’ approach and common sense needed to make progress on homelessness

The millions of dollars spent on the homelessness problem are a concern for everyone. As a psychologist, I can’t help but think of an item on a mental status exam asking what one would do if you came home and found the water overflowing in the kitchen sink. A half-point answer is to get a bucket to catch the water. A full-point answer is to turn the water off at the source.

Many people are making a lot of money supplying buckets. Shouldn’t we be devoting the bulk of the resources to triaging those who become homeless, and focusing on prevention of every possible cause of the overflowing water?

I, for one, do not read or hear about triage programs — not just different colored buckets.

— Joe Casciani, Bay Park