WYFP? Coming soon... warehousing people in the Homelessness Industrial Complex

A subset or intersection of the Prison Industrial Complex: the prisons for the homeless as well as what are now political prisoners like the 170 US citizens still incarcerated by ICE.

Apparently, it’s not ok to spend tax dollars on SNAP to feed hungry Americans - but it’s ok to spend tax dollars on rent subsidies to house Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem & Stephen Miller in homes on military bases typically reserved for top military brass.

the Homelessness Industrial Complex is coming.

On 29 October, the New York Times reported on a ‘service campus’ in the state of Utah. This so-called ‘campus‘ will house up to 1,300 homeless people, with many housed against their will.

The plan closely aligns with plans set out by Donald Trump, and this begs a question: given that the president clearly doesn’t care about homeless people, what’s in it for him?

As of right now, it looks like it’s a favor to wealthy supporters and corporate interests.

In July this year, Trump issued an executive order which expanded powers to ‘treat’ homeless people against their will. As the Times noted, the Utah facility isn’t the only example of Trump’s muddled thoughts becoming manifest:

As New Orleans prepared for this year’s Super Bowl, state police moved more than 120 people from downtown to a distant warehouse hastily converted for three months into a shelter.

San Diego enforces a camping ban punishable by arrest while designating two tent sites with a total of 800 beds as an alternative to the street. But a recent lawsuit faults the sites for “inhumane” conditions, including rats, mold, and risks of fires and floods.

In Las Vegas, a $200 million homeless campus is under construction, with half of the money coming from the casino industry amid concerns that homelessness depresses tourism. It promises 900 beds across 26 acres with intensive services, and coincides with new prohibitions on sleeping in public, punishable by up to 10 days in jail.

The question is who will profit from all this?

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