Happy Hour Guest Speaker: Michael Tanner

This month, Huntsville New Liberals proudly host special guest speaker Mike Tanner, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP), to discuss policies to address homelessness. There are two distinct groups of homeless individuals: those with substance abuse or mental health issues and those who cannot afford housing. The former group is more visible and often generates quality of life issues for the city. The latter group makes up the majority of the homeless population and includes employed individuals struggling to find affordable housing. Common solutions like permanent supportive housing or locking people up are not effective in addressing these complex issues. Lump-sum approaches do not work, and individual circumstances need to be considered when developing solutions.

Audience Questions

Question 1: What’s the relative breakdown between the two groups of homeless?

Question 2: Is there any way we can start thinking about basic living income?

Question 3: Do you think part of the issue is animosity toward homelessness though the belief that it is by choice or a moral failing?