Over the years, a number of articles have been written about the scope of the problem. My guess is that there is between 100 and 200 homeless people in Laconia, maybe more. The problem is significant, with several public forums dedicated to "solving" the problem. Although there hasn't been a public forum for some time.
If I were the grand poobah of Laconia, my solution to the problem would be 1) prohibit rehab centers, 2) prohibit/reduce the number of homeless shelters, and to the extent they exist, make them clean homeless shelters, 3) move the welfare office to another town, 4) enforce vagrancy laws, and 5) implement a stop and frisk policy.
Believe me, if were a pain in the you know what to be homeless in Laconia, they would find some other place to ply their trade. Let it be someone else's problem, until there are no other places to go. Being "kind" has not solved this or any other type of similar social problem. The only way to go is to be strict.
My two cents.
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