HOUSING AND ADVOCATES BELIEVE
THAT NUMBER COULD BE
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER.
DAVID: JOINING ME NOW, SECRETARY
OF HOUSING AND URBAN
DEVELOPMENT, DR. BEN CARSON.
GREAT TO SEE YOU, SIR.
THIS TIME DURING THE HOLIDAYS
WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE ARE
CHARITABLE ACROSS THIS COUNTRY,
A LOT OF ATTENTION PAID TO THE
HOMELESS CRISIS.
YOUR RECENT REPORTS SHOW A ..7%
RISE -- A 2.7% INCREASE ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
BUT THAT'S LARGELY DRIVEN BY
CALIFORNIA'S INCREASE OF 16%.
MY FIRST QUESTION IS THE HUMAN
CAPITAL.
THE COST.
AND THESE ARE LIVES, NOT JUST
NUMBERS.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN
TO CALIFORNIA A NUMBER OF TIMES,
AND I HAVE SEEN THOSE PEOPLE.
FIRST OF ALL, I RECOGNIZE ACROSS
THE COUNTRY, IF YOU TAKE THE
OTHER 49 STATES AND AVERAGE IT
OUT, HOMELESSNESS IS GOING DOWN.
THERE IS ENOUGH AN INCREASE IN
CALIFORNIA, 16.4% TO DRIVE THE
ENTIRE EQUATION UP BY 2.7%.
IT TELLS YOU HOW SIGNIFICANT THE
PROBLEM IS.
YOU HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE ON THE
STREET WHO ARE JUST MISERABLE.
YOU LOOK AT THEM.
THEY HAVE LOST HOPE.
WE HAVE TO REALIZE.
THESE ARE FELLOW AMERICAN
CITIZENS.
IN MANY CASES THEY ARE PEOPLE
WHO ARE INCAPABLE OF TAKING CARE
OF THEMS THEMSELVES.
IN OTHER CASES THEY ARE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE FALLEN ON HARD TIMES.
IN RITER CASE WE HAVE THE
ABILITY TO TAKE CARE OF THEM.
BUT THIS IS A STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITY.
IT'S NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS QUITE
WILLING TO HELP IN THESE
SITUATIONS, PARTICULARLY GIVEN
THE FACT THAT IT'S REACHED
CRISIS PROPORTIONS IN
CALIFORNIA.
BUT IT WILL REQUIRE THE LOCAL
AUTHORITIES AND THE STATE TO
COOPERATE, STOP THROWING
FIREBOMBS AND WANTING TO
ACTUALLY GET THIS THING DONE.
DAVID: I KNOW AS A DOCTOR YOU
MAY LOOK AT THINGS IN A HOLISTIC
BATTER.
LET'S TALK ABOUT RESOURCES.
THE RESOURCES BEING APPLIED, GOD
APPLIED -- -- GOVERNOR NEWSOM
HAS APLEAD RESOURCES TO THE
PROBLEM.
HOW DO WE RECONCILE MONEY AND
RESOURCES.
>> IN SCIENCE WE LIKE TO LOOK AT
THE FACTS.
WE LIKE TO LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE.
THAT'S WHAT I WOULD STRONGLY
THEM THIS CASE.
LOOK AT OTHERS.
WE HAVE 50 LABORATORIES, 50
STATES THAT DO THINGS IN VARIOUS
WAYS.
LET'S LOOK AT THE ONES THAT ARE
HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL.
LOOK AT TEXAS AND HOW MUCH THEIR
HOMELESSNESS HAS GONE DOWN THE
LAST 5-7 YEARS.
SIGNIFICANT DECREASES BECAUSE
THE POLICIES DON'T ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE TO SLEEP ON THE STREETS.
THEY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO TO
THE PLACES WHERE THEY CAN GET
THE KIND OF HELP THAT WILL GET
THEM INTO THE STREET SITUATION.
AND THEN I HAVE TO LOOK AT THE
WAY PEOPLE TREAT PEOPLE WHO ARE
MENTALLY ILL.
SOME PEOPLE SAY IT'S
COMPASSIONATE TO LET THEM DO
ANYTHING THEY WANT TO DO.
THAT'S NOT COMPASSIONATE AT ALL.
WHAT'S COMPASSIONATE IS HELPING
PEOPLE WHO CAN'T TAKE CARE OF
THEMSELVES MANAGE.
IF WE CAN GET THEM INTO THE
RIGHT SETTING SO THEY GET PROPER
MEDICATION.
MANY OF THEM BECOME QUITE
FUNCTIONAL AT THAT POINT.
DAVID: WHAT'S THE CORRELATION
BETWEEN THE POLITICS OF THIS
THAT IS A COMPONENT HERE AS WE
LOOK AT A NUMBER OF STATES.
THERE IS ALSO WEATHER AND THE
HOMELESS.
YOU WOULD THINK TYPICALLY IN THE
WARMER STATES, THIS WRITES THEY
WOULD BE.
BUT IN THE RECENT HUD REPORT ON
HOMELESSNESS, THE FACTS LEAD US
IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
SOME OF THE STATES WITH THE
LOWEST AMOUNTS OF HOMELESSNESS
ARE WARM STATES, LOUISIANA,AL
BAMW AND MS AND VIRGINIA.
A LOT OF TIMES THE POLICIES ARE
PROBLEMATIC.
PEOPLE DON'T MEAN TO DO BAD
THINGS.
IN A HOUSING FIRST, FOR
INSTANCE.
IT'S MEANT TO BE A GOOD THING.
GET PEOPLE OFF THE STREET, YOU
DON'T HAVE ANY REQUIREMENTS ON
THEM AND YOU HAVE DONE YOUR JOB.
BUT I THINK IT SHOULD BE HOUSING
FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD.
HOUSING SECOND, WHY ARE THEY ON
THE STREET IN THE FIRST PLACE.
HOUSING THIRD, YOU FIX IT.
THAT'S WHERE THE REAL COMPASSION
COMES IN.
JUST TO HAVE HOUSING FIRST HAS
RESULTED IN A DETRIMENT TO
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING BEDS OF
770,778.
AND THE UNSHELTERED HOMELESS
RATE HAS GONE UP 35,000.
DO THE MATH.
WE MAY HAVE THE NUMBER OF BEDS
WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THEM.
BUT WHEN YOU EXCLUDE THE NUMBER
OF TRANSITIONAL BED, YOU CREATE
A BIGGER PROBLEM.
THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRAT PROBLEM.
THEY ARE REPUBLICANS ALSO.
LET'S SAY TAKEN IN BY THE
HOUSING FIRST STRATEGY AND NOT
ANALYZE THE COMPLETE PROGRAM AND
WHAT THE OUTCOME IS.
YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT
ALL THOSE FACTS.
LOOK AT THE DATA, THEN MAKE YOUR
DECISIONS BASED ON THAT.
NOT THE IDEOLOGY.
THAT'S THE KEY TO FIXING THIS
PROBLEM.
DAVID: SECRETARY CARSON, THANK
YOU AGAIN FOR JOINING ME TONIGHT
ON LOU DOBBS.