Mormons have a good idea for once

[TaraJo]

In 2005, Utah figured out that the annual cost of E.R. visits and jail stays for homeless people was about $16,670 per person, compared to $11,000 to provide each homeless person with an apartment and a social worker.

This seems like apples and oranges, though. Unless they have health insurance they are still going to have to go to emergency rooms in case of illness and, last I heard, Utah has still not made up its mind on Medicaid Expansion.

Sort of. I've had to spend some time homeless and it's a lot easier to wind up in the ER living on the streets than it is in your own place. Not to mention, it's easier to get medicare and disability and everything if you have a steady address and maybe even a phone number where you can be reached.

As for incarceration, if you're homeless, it can be easy to get desperate enough to resort to criminal activities to take care of yourself. I mean, if things go bad, there's a chance of being put in prison where at least you have a roof over your head and three meals a day. That can be a big step up.