Ignoring a problem does not make it go away.

Tonight I was driving home from Barnes and Noble, one of my favorite hangouts, when I happened upon a South County St. Louis regular. The homeless woman. I call her THE homeless woman because there is only one that tends to be visible to all of us here. I know that there are many people who've seen her, as I've even discussed her with coworkers, friends, etc. Maybe you've seen her. She's a tall, skinny, tanned, blonde, middle-aged woman. Usually you will see her walking along major roads like Lindbergh, Butler Hill, Gravois, and even I-55 in the summer. She's always carrying several bags full of stuff and wearing rather skimpy cloths, of course that may be because I see her in the summer.

I've actually spoken to her before, and given her some money. She asked if I needed any work done or knew any wealthy people who did. Housekeeping and gardening, things like that. I could tell she had some mental issues. The one time I turned my back to her during our chat I could hear her muttering to herself. I've dealt with homeless people before obviously. Usually they have a sob story or otherwise give me a reason why they need a handout. She didn't do that. She wanted work.

Hopefully, she is one of those people you hear about who do have a family or others that care about them and make sure they don't get in too bad of shape. Maybe she's even one of those people who does have a home and resources but chooses not to use them for some mental reason. Those ideas sound farfetched but I have dealt with those scenarios before as well. I hope one of them is the case anyway.

To me it is very sad that homelessness is almost completely ignored by County residents. It is seen as a "city problem". I'm sure more than a few county residents assume that homelessness doesn't even exist in the county.

St. Louis City Mayor Francis Slay's website recently had a post that dealt with the lack of homeless services in St. Louis County. To sum it up, over half of the homeless services that the city provides are for homeless individuals that stay outside the city. Why? Because ALMOST NO homeless services are offered in the county.

Most who know me know that I am against universal healthcare. I think it would lead to shoddy medical practices and higher costs. However, I do think that the government needs to step in and provide free medical and specifically mental health care to the homeless. Yes, I know that means we'll all have to pay for it but I think we should.

I think that public health officials and police should be able to pick up the homeless and provide them with mental health screenings and treatment. Yes, I know that seems harsh. Why, you ask, should we essentially arrest someone for doing nothing else wrong than being homeless?

The answer is simple. They need help, and in many cases I fear they may not have the mental capacity to know that they do. People will not show up to clinics to be treated if they don't think they are sick, and by their nature, many mental illnesses do not allow a victim to realize they are sick.

Oh sure we can leave them where they are in the name of their civil rights. Leave them to do whatever. Afterall it is mostly out of site. We won't be reminded of it daily. It doesn't affect our property values. We only need to stay out of "those" parts of the area and we can forget the problem even exists.

We can rename the problem. Instead of calling them "homeless" we can call them "vagrants" or "displaced individuals". Instead of calling them "people who need help", we can call them "untreated victims".

But the problem, it will still exist. There will still be homeless. Everyday. Getting sick without treatment. Going hungry without food. Dirty. Tired. Mentally anguished. Incapable of pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. Eventually they will die, alone, under a bridge or in an alley. Some city employee will find their body. They'll become a statistic.

Their life will be gone. They will still have their freedom and civil liberties though. I'm not sure what good thos things will do them.

Ignoring a problem does not make it go away.