# Anti-homeless spikes **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044 "2014-06-30T23:12:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/21 "2014-07-01T02:58:49Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The spikes seem like overkill, I’m sure something a lot less dangerous and intimidating could be used. Overall it’d just be easier to improve mental health care and addiction services for the homeless. That sounds like witch talk to me! ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/22 "2014-07-01T04:21:24Z")
I would install the armrests and put something to make the cubby hole not seem like a good place to sleep. I think the lack of support services for the homeless in this country is shameful but letting them sleep in my building’s entryway is not going to help that situation. If I want to help the homeless there are productive things I can do but decreasing my building’s desirability to tenants is not one of them. Nor is letting them panhandle/beg/whatever outside my business, which I also would never allow and can’t figure out why anyone does. There are stores I won’t go to at night because there are always men approaching you asking for money, which is scary when you’re a woman alone in a dark parking lot. And even when it’s not scary, it’s just annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/23 "2014-07-01T05:23:14Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > That’s easier, huh? A manager of an apartment building can end homelessness with less effort than it takes to hire a contractor to drill some holes and install spikes in them. Who would have thought? It is cheaper to house the homeless than to leave them outside. And there is something really morally wrong with this whole situation of ignoring poverty and the mentally ill, then putting nails in the street so they can’t lie down. > **[Study Reveals It Costs Less to Give the Homeless Housing Than to Leave Them...](https://www.mic.com/articles/86251/study-reveals-it-costs-less-to-give-the-homeless-housing-than-to-leave-them-on-the-street)** > > The news: A new study has found that it's significantly cheaper to house the homeless than leave them on the streets. > University of North Carolina Charlotte researchers released a study on Monday that tracked chronically homeless adults housed in… ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/24 "2014-07-01T06:14:14Z")
I have found that there is a really effective way of communicating with homeless people: speech. It completely eliminates the need to communicate through spikes. I just tell 'em where the shelter is.\* \*It’s in my street, which is actually really good because of the “don’t shit where you eat” principle. Homeless people around my house are always on best behaviour. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/25 "2014-07-01T11:01:01Z")
I want some of these spikes for my lawn to keep the neighbor kids off of it. (insert old man/lawn quote here) mmm ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/26 "2014-07-01T14:25:03Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Presumably places with the spikes end up with more puke and shit because if they can’t sleep there why not use it for other needs? > > Although they serve roughly the same purpose the arm rests don’t seem as much of an affront to human dignity as the spikes. Well, the spikes are certainly more overtly dickish than the armrests on the bench. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/27 "2014-07-01T16:14:27Z")
I’ve never been to London but they assuredly have homeless shelters there. If they’re like any other city there are homeless people who refuse to go to the shelters or they’re so obnoxious they’ve been banned from them. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. It’s not within the power of the tenants to force the homeless into shelters. It IS within the power of the tenants to secure their own property as they see fit. If normal trespassing or vagrancy laws are not enforced then they’re left with whatever other devices are legal. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/28 "2014-07-01T16:24:57Z")
Worse than unsightly, I can’t see how the spikes could possibly be effective. A better designer would place them in a deep pit covered with branches, leaves and bottles of fortified wine. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/29 "2014-07-01T16:28:22Z")
My residents do not pay their fees to live in a place infested by homeless. It is a shame that there is no social net for them, or one they feel comfortable using but that is not my specific problem. Armrests and spikes or large planters [or perhaps art installations of statuary to fill the space.] ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/30 "2014-07-01T16:33:35Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > The spikes are an eyesore. Surely with some forethought the building could have been designed to not have that cubby hole, or a large planter could be placed in it with low light plants and automatic irrigation, or bright lights could be installed as a deterrent, or music (muzak?) could be piped in. There are better options than rolling out the unwelcome mat in such an obvious way. I voted yes to both spikes and arm rests, but on reflection I like the idea of a large obstructing plant better than the spikes, which are definitely ugly as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/31 "2014-07-01T17:05:10Z")
> [@](#): > > …but that is not my specific problem. And because enough of us act that way (yes, I’m preaching to the choir - I have done nothing this year to directly help a homeless person, at least not that I recall) it remains a problem. I’m not fussing at anyone, I’m a guilty as the next guy. The solution is obvious - for us to take care of each other and quit relying on government or figuring someone else will do it. No, I don’t know how to make that happen. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/32 "2014-07-01T17:09:27Z")
Put a bench with an armrest in the cubby. Now you’ve made it useful and stopped people from lying down and sleeping in it. Edit: If the cubby is unsuitable for sitting (like in the photo where the door would whack you) then I’d vote for planter, etc. I’m not opposed to the spikes/studs on moral ground just aesthetic. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/33 "2014-07-01T17:10:05Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I was wondering too about the spikes, would a few layers of cardboard boxes not mitigate any discomfort from them? As the close up reveals, they’re not that sharp. You’d need a _lot_ of cardboard until the lumps flattened out enough not to be uncomfortable. I’d guess about six inches worth, maybe more. That’s a lot of cardboard to be carrying around with you all day. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/34 "2014-07-01T17:44:22Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > It is cheaper to house the homeless than to leave them outside. And there is something really morally wrong with this whole situation of ignoring poverty and the mentally ill, then putting nails in the street so they can’t lie down. Read the OP. It starts with: > [@Mr. Kobayashi](#): > > Imagine you’re the manager of an apartment block. You’re not God, you’re not a benevolent dictator, you’re not even president. You’re the manager of an apartment block. You operate a business renting out apartments, and if you can’t keep the homeless from camping out on your front stoop, tenants will stop renting from you, and you may eventually find yourself going out of business. For _you,_ Mr. Apartment Block Manager, it is not cheaper to house the homeless guy who is sleeping on your stoop; if you put him in one of your apartments, he’s displacing a rent-paying tenant. And as soon as you do that, another one will arrive and take his place on the stoop. Keep it up, and pretty soon you’ll have a whole apartment block filled with homeless people who aren’t paying you rent. Good luck with your new business policy. Maybe it’s appropriate to agitate at the city/county/state level for more government assistance for the homeless, but even in the unlikely event that you’re able to overcome everyone else’s apathy/opposition, it’ll take several years to effect meaningful change in policy. During those intervening years how will you, Mr. Apartment Block Manager, deal with homeless people wanting to sleep on your front stoop? How will you maintain the value of your rental property so that your tenants happily pay you top dollar every month for the privilege of living in one of your fine apartments? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/35 "2014-07-01T18:49:47Z")
How do you know I’m not God? Maybe I’m like Ryan Reynolds in the movie the nines and you just made my shit list. If I were the apartment manager I’d want to keep the homeless out but spikes are quite intimidating. Plus kids could etc hurt. Why not just put a potted plant in that cubby hole instead. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/36 "2014-07-01T19:00:22Z")
I can’t make out what that is in the cubby in the photo. Another door with some sort of security locks? (As opposed to “non-security” locks, I know) Anyway, if maintenance or someone needs access to it, then a planter or other architectural feature in there may not be feasible. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/37 "2014-07-01T19:03:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Why not just put a potted plant in that cubby hole instead. Because then they could just scoot the plant over. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/38 "2014-07-01T23:57:20Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Because then they could just scoot the plant over. I’ve seen plants that had large concrete bases, they could use those. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/39 "2014-07-02T00:08:53Z")
I’d mount a board to the wall that’s at a 45° angle to fill the space and then hang potted plants. Doesn’t really need the plants but what the hell. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044/40 "2014-07-02T00:31:16Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > I was certainly surprised it was legal to treat a human like Sonic the Hedgehog, though I don’t think the spikes could be accurately called deadly sharp - [here’s a closer look](http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/12/1402582131110/The-inch-high-conical-spi-009.jpg) at that London cubbyhole. And they’re in front of what appears to be a door to a utility closet. I’m guessing somebody got tired of having to move sleeping bodies in order to open the door. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-homeless-spikes/692044.md?page=3)