New Program Takes Rare Approach of Treating Homeless People Like Human Beings—And It Works

[dreamnightwind]

6. Great to see this, SF is homeless hell

I've never seen anything like the homeless probllem in SF. There are thousands living on the streets in complete and utter desperation. Most, though not all, are men, and most of those (again not all) are black men. No future, no jobs, little hope of shelter (services are overwhelmed and favor women), unwanted by society. Most of their interaction with government is on the side of law enforcement rather than on the side of social services.

I love SF like no other city, but a walk through much of SF after dark is heartbreaking, sadly people just learn to not see these people as much as possible just so they can cope with going out.

Programs like this appear to be an excellent start. It will take a lot, the magnitude of this problem is shocking. It started during the Reagan years but has grown increasingly worse regardless of which party is running the country or the city. Cost of living in the city is sky-high, competition for low-wage jobs is intense, and those jobs don't pay near enough to afford shelter, rents are insane.

K & R, these people are humans as much as any of us and deserve much better.