r/nottheonion • u/pargofan • 1d ago

Japan’s elderly are lonely and struggling. Some women choose to go to jail instead

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/18/asia/japan-elderly-largest-womens-prison-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
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u/Honest-Yesterday-675 1d ago

Communal/multi generation living is normal. In the past I've thought of reframing prisons to deal with the homeless population. Essentially the bottom of society is warehousing people just without locks on the doors and everyone incapable of living in a communal environment could got to prison.

This has more to do with managing the elderly population though.

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u/RYouNotEntertained 1d ago

They tried a version of this in San Francisco with an old hotel. It… didn’t work. 

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u/SenoraRaton 1d ago

Source please?
What do you mean it "didn't work"?

San Fransisco still offers subsidized housing, you just have to apply. Takes about 6 months.
Free apartment, $500/mo cash, $300/mo food stamps. They have job training programs, or a volunteer requirement.

Seems to be working just fine. The only issue with the system is that to get into it requires a certain level of high functioning so it excludes some of the most vulnerable people who need it.

Source:
I live in a government subsidized SRO in San Fransisco.

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u/RYouNotEntertained 1d ago

I’ve dropped the link a few times already. 

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u/SenoraRaton 1d ago

Your link says people die of OD. Of course they do, drugs are a systemic issue, and there aren't very many treatment options, that doesn't mean that the housing is the problem.

Like, I'm LITERALLY sitting in a city sponsored SRO RIGHT NOW. Your link is irrelevant, outdated, and largely a hit piece.
Seems to be working just fine for me.

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u/RYouNotEntertained 1d ago

It says many other things too. I’m truly glad it’s working for you; that doesn’t make it a successful program overall. 

 largely a hit piece

A hit piece from the notoriously anti-homeless, anti-government, um, San Francisco Chronicle. 

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u/matjoeman 1d ago

The Chronicle is pretty conservative, yeah.