BOTTOM LINE: The homelessness crisis cannot be solved by throwing money at it

More than half a million people in the United States do not have a home to go to on any given night.

Homelessness is reaching near epidemic levels in some cities in our country. The problem is particularly bad in many states that have embraced traditionally liberal values.

For example, in Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti is facing a recall effort lead by activists who have had enough with the growing homeless population.

And the state legislature, led by Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, has failed to provide an adequate plan to address the issue—struggling to agree on how much money they want to senselessly throw at the problem.

Simply building more houses won’t fix the homelessness crisis. Homelessness does not exist because there aren’t enough places to sleep. To truly address this issue, states need to provide solutions for poor mental health, post-traumatic stress, and the ballooning size of debt that young people are shouldering.

State and local governments should invest heavily in workforce development as well. The problem goes far beyond California, homelessness is on the rise in places such as New York and Seattle, as well.

Here’s the bottom line: Homelessness is another problem that Democrats want to blindly throw money at.

We need to make smart efforts to address the root causes of this crisis – if not, the homeless epidemic could be a defining issue for our children and grandchildren.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Boris Epshteyn formerly served as a Senior Advisor to the Trump Campaign and served in the White House as Special Assistant to The President and Assistant Communications Director for Surrogate Operations.