The REAL Cause of Homelessness in America | Charlie Kirk Debate Compilation

[00:00:00] So, I work for homeless shelters on the [00:00:01] side, right? See a lot of people who are [00:00:03] homeless. We've got a major issue with [00:00:04] homelessness in this country. The [00:00:05] solution does seem to build more homes. [00:00:08] Now, not every homeless person's [00:00:09] condition is not the solution to [00:00:10] homelessness. [00:00:11] >> Not every homeless person's condition. [00:00:12] >> More homes does not solve homelessness. [00:00:13] You're wrong. [00:00:14] >> More affordable housing does. [00:00:16] >> It doesn't solve all of it. But it does [00:00:17] help you need help. [00:00:18] >> No, it doesn't. It's telling them you [00:00:20] can't go defecate on the side of the [00:00:21] street. Clean up. Get out of here. I'm [00:00:22] going to put you in prison. [00:00:23] >> So, hold on now. You think that you [00:00:25] homeless by choice? [00:00:26] >> No. You need to understand this. You [00:00:27] need to understand this right now. [00:00:28] section housing for every single one of [00:00:30] them. It's because they have they either [00:00:32] have deep-seated mental issues and they [00:00:33] should be in an asylum or number two [00:00:35] they have drug issues or number three [00:00:37] they're there by choice. It is not a [00:00:39] lack of homes while we [00:00:40] >> people that I know who do work who are [00:00:42] homeless who are working out of their [00:00:43] car who are working for double the [00:00:45] minimum wage and still cannot afford [00:00:46] their homes because of debts from the [00:00:48] 2008 crisis. All of those good people [00:00:51] you think that they are all mentally ill [00:00:52] and not deserving of having homes. [00:00:54] >> So did they apply for section 8 housing? [00:00:56] >> Absolutely. They didn't get it. There's [00:00:57] not enough. There's an abundance of [00:00:58] section 8 housing. [00:00:59] >> Absolutely. Not in every area. Not here. [00:01:01] 100%. [00:01:02] >> I I reject the premise. Homelessness is [00:01:04] a choice in this country. [00:01:05] >> I think that you're unclear about the [00:01:06] facts in certain areas. Say that. So [00:01:08] someone working working two jobs. [00:01:10] >> No, not two jobs. Twice the minimum wage [00:01:12] in Tennessee. Tennessee the minimum wage [00:01:13] is $750. They make $14 an hour. [00:01:16] >> Hold on. Let me let me play this out. So [00:01:17] they they have a family. [00:01:18] >> They have a family [00:01:19] >> and their whole family's homeless. [00:01:20] >> Not the whole family. Kids are with the [00:01:22] grand. [00:01:22] >> So I'm going to call BS on this whole [00:01:23] thing. Wait a second. So they're earning [00:01:25] 1450 an hour. 1550 an hour [00:01:27] >> or 750 is the minimum wage. So 15 bucks [00:01:29] an hour, right? [00:01:30] >> Do you know the average rent in the [00:01:31] area? [00:01:31] >> Hold on a second. I'm going to get to [00:01:32] there. Hold on. 15 bucks an hour and [00:01:34] they're working like what? 78 hours a [00:01:35] day, right? [00:01:36] >> Yeah. 40 a week. [00:01:37] >> Okay. So like 120 bucks a day, right? So [00:01:40] they're getting like 600 bucks a week. [00:01:42] That's like $2,400 a month. So they [00:01:44] could also get food stamps. They could [00:01:46] get Medicaid insurance. And they could [00:01:47] also get welfare having their income [00:01:49] level under $60,000 a year of which that [00:01:52] would total them $76,000 a year. You're [00:01:54] trying to tell me in the greater [00:01:55] Knoxville area there's not an apartment [00:01:56] that they could put themselves and their [00:01:58] family for $76,000 a year. You know [00:01:59] what? They probably have a drug problem, [00:02:01] which is where all that money is going. [00:02:03] I just called BS on that entire [00:02:04] mathematical equation. It doesn't exist. [00:02:06] >> What I'm saying is that there are people [00:02:07] who do work and who still cannot afford [00:02:09] it. So what do you say to those people [00:02:11] who they are working? They're working [00:02:12] hard. [00:02:12] >> I just told you I just called BS on your [00:02:14] whole scenario. You can get up to [00:02:16] $78,000 a year. [00:02:17] >> Disrespect me like that. Why? I'm not [00:02:18] calling BS on your scenario. Because [00:02:20] you're Because you're It does not exist [00:02:22] in the Knoxville greater area within 30 [00:02:24] miles. It [00:02:25] >> absolutely does. [00:02:26] >> I'm telling you right now, it does not [00:02:27] exist. [00:02:27] >> Are you from here? Cuz I lived here [00:02:31] on the things that I know. [00:02:32] >> Okay. For example, I'm telling you right [00:02:33] now, it is not true. If someone is [00:02:35] working two jobs at 15 bucks an hour and [00:02:38] they're getting every benefit [00:02:39] >> before taxes are taken out [00:02:40] >> again, which is barely anything at 15 [00:02:42] bucks an hour, right? You'll pay FICO, [00:02:44] which is 8%. Your employer will match [00:02:45] it. I'm telling you this whole like swan [00:02:47] song that people are homeless because oh [00:02:49] they they want they they're working so [00:02:51] hard it's either a they're on drugs b [00:02:53] they have gambling debt or c so some [00:02:55] people do some people do not everybody [00:02:57] though I'm asking you [00:02:58] >> final point is this final thing what I [00:03:00] will say is that if that scenario exists [00:03:02] instead of the government taking care of [00:03:04] them local churches should step up and [00:03:06] take care of these people if those [00:03:07] scenarios exist thank you very much [00:03:09] >> but I wanted to talk to you I mean [00:03:11] you're in California so uh the big topic [00:03:14] I think one of the big topics here is uh [00:03:15] is homelessness and uh what would what [00:03:18] do you think is would be a solid [00:03:19] solution for homelessness? And second of [00:03:21] all, what do you think as us as as [00:03:22] Christians uh our role in in helping [00:03:25] solve that? [00:03:26] >> Yeah. Uh we don't have to look too far. [00:03:27] I mean, New York solved their homeless [00:03:28] problem. It's just we're going to help [00:03:29] you. We'll clothe you. We'll feed you. [00:03:31] We'll take care of you. The the streets [00:03:32] are not your home. Period. [00:03:33] >> You get off the streets. They're not [00:03:34] your home. It's bad for society. It's [00:03:36] bad for everybody. It's bad for [00:03:37] children. It's bad for sanitary [00:03:39] conditions. Bad for crime. It's bad for [00:03:40] property values. It's bad for the psyche [00:03:42] and the soul of a nation. We'll take [00:03:43] care of you. Just go to homeless [00:03:44] shelter. we'll recover you. And if [00:03:46] that's not good enough for you, well, [00:03:47] too bad. We're going to forcibly take [00:03:48] you to a homeless shelter. We're going [00:03:49] to keep on doing that over and over [00:03:50] again because it's not loving to anybody [00:03:52] to have some guy on the side of the [00:03:53] street that's oding with heroin. We have [00:03:55] to look at that. Kids think that's [00:03:56] normal. There there are guidelines in [00:03:58] Portland and Seattle where they have to [00:03:59] teach seven, eight-year-olds at [00:04:01] playgrounds what to do if they come [00:04:02] across a hypodermic needle. Like, that's [00:04:04] disgusting. It's reprehensible. That's [00:04:05] us having to adjust our mode of living, [00:04:08] our society for the the the issues that [00:04:11] other people have. And let's be honest, [00:04:13] the majority of homelessness is not an [00:04:15] issue of not having stuff. It is an [00:04:18] issue of substance abuse is or or like [00:04:20] very very fringe mental illness. And I [00:04:22] am a a minority, but I think we need to [00:04:24] reopen the the asylums. I really do. I [00:04:26] think we need to have long-term care for [00:04:28] people that have that need psychiatric [00:04:29] type evaluation. [00:04:30] >> And um in fact, I I think it's more [00:04:33] loving for them to have a professional [00:04:35] type environment that's treating them [00:04:36] and trying to get to root causes than [00:04:38] saying, "Hey, welcome to the side of the [00:04:40] street. You might have to run into [00:04:41] traffic and get run over by a bus at [00:04:42] 3:00 a.m., right? Um, if you go to [00:04:44] downtown San Diego to the Navy Medical [00:04:46] Center and you talk to the ER clinic [00:04:47] between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., I [00:04:49] guarantee you they'll say that they get [00:04:50] at least two every night of a homeless [00:04:52] person that wanders into traffic and [00:04:54] gets run over by a bus. Happens all the [00:04:56] time. And by the way, that's a backlog [00:04:57] in hospitals. It's bad for them. They [00:04:58] might die. So, it this idea that, you [00:05:00] know, we're not we're being loving by [00:05:02] allowing them to encamp on the side of [00:05:04] the streets. No, we're being weak is [00:05:06] what we are. And it it it also just [00:05:09] makes I I don't know about you guys, but [00:05:10] when I see it, I get awfully depressed. [00:05:12] Like I just I don't like looking at it. [00:05:13] I don't I feel as if it's a problem that [00:05:15] we don't want to solve. So we as [00:05:17] Christians have to step up and step up [00:05:18] in a way that's proven and loving. And [00:05:20] that has put them in facilities and [00:05:22] shelters and process and programs that [00:05:24] can actually either rehabilitate them or [00:05:26] at the very least stabilize their [00:05:27] condition, which more times than not is [00:05:29] a substance abuse problem. [00:05:31] >> God bless the church. Uh I'll be praying [00:05:33] for you. Hopefully we'll be in touch. [00:05:34] >> God bless, man. Thank you. Hello, [00:05:36] Charlie. My name is Casey. Um, I follow [00:05:39] you on social media and I always tell [00:05:42] people I agree about 95% of everything [00:05:44] you say. [00:05:45] >> 95 [00:05:45] >> 95 because I'm sure you might disagree [00:05:48] Tom Mizo is the best college basketball [00:05:50] coach or something like that. [00:05:51] >> Well, he's not. I mean, that's fine, but [00:05:53] I like [00:05:55] >> I mean, wait, did he make a final four [00:05:57] this year? I don't know. Like, so I like [00:05:59] Thomas. I actually always cheer for [00:06:00] Michigan State, but you can't you can't [00:06:02] live in a land of delusion, right? So, [00:06:04] >> so um most recently my percentage has [00:06:08] dropped down to a 93%. [00:06:10] >> Okay, there you go. Because of the Tom [00:06:12] Mizo answer. [00:06:13] >> No kidding. This was just happened a [00:06:16] video I saw of you a few weeks ago about [00:06:19] you saying [00:06:20] >> homelessness is a choice and I kind of [00:06:23] disagree with that to a point. Um, I [00:06:26] know that this conversation happened in [00:06:28] another state um saying that making $14 [00:06:31] an hour for 40hour week um should not [00:06:35] make you homeless. Well, I make more [00:06:37] than $14 an hour and if it wasn't for my [00:06:40] mom, my son and I would be homeless and [00:06:44] I filed for section 8 like you told the [00:06:46] this person, I get denied. I only get [00:06:49] offered $20 a month for food stamps and [00:06:52] no cash assistance. So, in in a sense, [00:06:56] >> you get $20 a month for food stamps. [00:06:58] >> Yeah, that it should be actually an [00:07:00] equivalent of your wage though, right? [00:07:02] >> Yes. But it wasn't. That's all that they [00:07:05] would give me is $20. [00:07:06] >> So, can I ask you a provocative [00:07:08] question? [00:07:08] >> Sure. [00:07:08] >> Have you gone to churches to help you [00:07:10] out? [00:07:11] >> Yes. [00:07:11] >> And what do they say? Um, they help me [00:07:14] out to an extent when it comes to [00:07:17] helping my son get the needs for [00:07:19] himself, but it doesn't really help with [00:07:22] like a home where I would have to have a [00:07:25] place for me and a room for my son and [00:07:28] pay for my car and my cell phone, which [00:07:30] is not necessarily a necessity, per se, [00:07:33] but it kind of is. [00:07:35] >> But, um, I really do think that [00:07:36] homelessness is not a choice to an [00:07:39] extent. Um, there are some people that I [00:07:42] do argue that yes, you make it a choice, [00:07:44] but in a situation like mine, I I really [00:07:47] think there's a lot more people out [00:07:48] there. [00:07:49] >> Well, let me be clear. By homelessness, [00:07:50] I mean living on the street. If you're [00:07:52] living on the street, you've made a [00:07:53] choice. There are shelters, there's [00:07:56] charities, there's a lot of things [00:07:58] accompanied to it. And you're largely [00:08:00] the exception because you seem like you [00:08:01] have your life together. The the the the [00:08:03] rule though with homelessness almost [00:08:05] always is related with drug use. It's [00:08:07] like almost a onetoone correlation. If [00:08:09] you're living on the streets, you almost [00:08:10] always have a drug problem and you're [00:08:12] kind of like in this non-stop cycle of [00:08:15] living on the streets. But look, I'm I'm [00:08:18] sorry to hear the, you know, struggle [00:08:20] you have to go through, but I think [00:08:21] it'll make you tougher and, you know, [00:08:23] you you'll be you'll be more successful [00:08:24] because of