Todd,

I agree, it would save money both public and private. HUD spends a great deal every year in enforcement and mitigation of its housing policies. HUD guidelines are very specific about drug use for tenants and owner operators of public assisted housing. The real question is what would be the effect of creating a permanent class of homeless drug users. We are in the process of creating a homeless/jobless criminal class right now with other screening programs. All the new studies are showing it is cheaper to house these people in the long run that it is to deal with each individual issue that arises from their behavior over time. But make no mistake there is a correlation between poverty, drug use and violence.