Yes, this is why it’s not quite as dire here. It’s not because police move them to jails or mental health facilities. Everyone has a right to a bed and shelter, so most (not all) people do find some sort of supportive housing or shelter, at least at night. And lots of those facilities come with all sorts of programming to help people in a variety of different ways.
And I, too, hate the term “virtue signaling” to shut down any sort of disagreement. Grow up.
In many countries organized crime deals with the homeless problem, which is a terrible thing, frankly.
Also in many countries including the USA, a big part of the problem is people who don’t have to deal with consequences themselves - for example they live in gated communities, or in secured buildings and drive or get chauffeured around - set policy and laws.
Fine, I will use sanctimonious rather than virtue signaling to refer to comments which claim a moral high ground to which they are not entitled. All cities around the world have people who are too mentally ill or addicted to care for themselves, or choose not to, as well as astronomical costs of living-London, Vienna,Zurich, etc. But it seems only in the US does that population dominate the public spaces of so many cities. Whether the homeless voluntarily seek other arrangements in those cities or are forced to seems to be worth considering.
Other countries often have better social safety nets/programs.
One would expect the SF bay area to have among the strongest safety nets-city officials claim they spend billions on the homeless problem and offer a vast panoply of services. But SF continues to have among the worst problems.
I worked in a very large shelter that housed 1,000-1,500 men per night, for many years. In the Boston area (where homeless certainly are not forced to go anywhere, not sure where anyone got that idea), key factors in creating homelessness were deinstitutionalization (civil liberties ARE important, but the promised community care alternatives have yet to materialize), changes in the housing stock (no more SRO’s), alcoholism and addiction, veterans with no support, and the many crises that can happen to almost anyone (fire, job loss, health issue, divorce). There were some who were third generation on the streets. There were also quite a few Native Americans.
In Boston and Cambridge, it is almost possible to view the homeless and panhandlers as part of the tableau of the community. The same individuals occupy the same spot every day. We exchange good mornings. When I left Cambridge recently, I gave granola bars to my favorites to say good-bye. It is human scale. Many are psychotic but the city leaves them be and they have a routine of sorts, and some people say hi.
I visited San Diego and it is a different scene. My first night there- downtown- a man was screaming “Help me” and my daughter and I went down to see what he needed. We called an ambulance and another person on the street at 3 am was angry because we had involved the system.
That was my intro. I spent two weeks there and would say that the level of psychosis among the homeless downtown is sky high. It rained and people were walking around barefoot, cold, yelling. I have no idea what the solution is, but it is sad sad sad. People need medication, treatment, attention. I don’t know what the shelter system is like in San Diego and surely the climate means people can physically survive on the streets, they won’t freeze, but they ARE a danger to themselves and could conceivably receive some compulsory, humane treatment.
The RV crowd is another thing entirely- are the young people partying? There are also older people doing this. Social security isn’t enough for year round rent, right? Low income senior housing and low income housing in general has long long waiting lists. People have NO options.
This is a very very complex problem with many many different components. What rings true for me is that there is a repugnance many feel toward people on the streets, and a tendency to paint them with a broad brush. That said, the SoCal scene is very different from the Northeast, so we cannot judge each other either.
My kid rides the bus in an Diego. Does not have a car. I am proud of her for being kind to people who occasionally ask her for help. A psychotic woman who cannot understand the schedule for instance. That said I sure am glad she got vaccinated for Hepatitis A. That about says it all.
From what I’ve gleaned, the warmer climate locales seem to inherit homeless in their various stripes from other localities. Part of it is the weather, part of it is actually having programs in place. Places like SD and SF are taking on the burden of homeless populations that aren’t “homegrown”.
IMO, it’s a national issue that isn’t getting national attention and national resources. Sometimes our state system of government has its downsides vs other countries where issues are tackled on at a broader and more comprehensive level.
Many cities have to deal disproportionately with various issues that are national in scope (Texas, again). But cities such as Columbus and Salt Lake have managed to deal more effectively with their homelessness problem than the West coast. For the hundreds of millions of dollars each major California city is spending on this problem, citizens deserve to have parks and beaches they can actually use.
I live in an extreme northern climate with a minor homeless population and we do have resource to help them - thankful for Catholic Charities and the Red Cross in particular. With respect to honoring a homeless individuals civil rights - where do their rights end and societies rights begin? Why should the RV crowds be allowed to take over a public beach to the detriment of society as a whole? Why shouldn’t kids be able to enjoy parks because homeless have decided it is theirs? I know it sounds harsh but there are some for whom involuntary commitment and treatment would be a kindness even if it infringed on their rights initially. My BIL would be homeless due to mental health and drug issues if it weren’t for the relentless advocacy of my MIL and getting him to be a ward of the state. He now lives independently with a stipend from the state and a case worker managing things for him. Forced intervention improved his quality of life. I realize it is a slippery slope.
We call it a “homeless” problem. It’s really, a mental illness, drug addiction, lost job, lost house, lost spouse, etc. problem. It might even be an I choose this as a lifestyle problem. Each person has different issues. Being homeless is the symptom. Treating this as one problem will likely not solve anything.
I’ve working in NYC for the past 25 years, and take the Lexington Ave subway (4,5,6) to and from work every work day. In the past few years, there has been a noticeable increase in homelessness in the city. They are all over the streets and camped out on subway platforms. The vast majority are mentally ill and/or drug addicts/alcoholics. Some of them are deranged and scary, especially if you are trapped in the same subway car with them. It seems to me that the police let them get away with things that would not have been tolerated 5 or 10 years ago.
I miss the emojis! I tried to put one up in post 77 to show it was meant as a humorous comment, but it came out as a square 
Portland, MAINE has a huge homeless population, because the city has opened its arms to help them. The downtown area where the shelter is located has a horrible problem with violence and open drug use. The city is trying to figure out what to do. They need to open a bigger shelter but there’s disagreement about where to put it.
Didn’t read every page so far. Has anyone mentioned the success Bergen County NJ has had in eliminating chronic homelessness? Other cities should at least look at what they have done to see if any of it is transferable.
https://www.nj.com/bergen/2017/03/bergen_county_first_in_nation_to_end_chronic_homel.html
The problem with discussions such as this one, is that posters seem to be demanding action – to clean up cities, to get rid of homeless – without being ready to address the core issues of poverty, mental illness, drug abuse, domestic violence, etc.
Until we as a society create an infrastructure that gives people care, options and opportunities, our cities (and later our suburbs and rural areas) will be filled with poor, homeless, mentally ill people.
Yes, we’re becoming the third world. Welcome to America in the 21st century.
@TheBigChef it’s that rents have increased so much, especially in neighborhoods that were of no interest to upper middle class people ten years ago, and the families of the mentally ill can’t shelter them. The most substantial safety net, loved ones, just can’t do it anymore.
@NJres I believe Minneapolis or Saint Paul was also trying to do this recently - a one stop facility for all the resources someone would need. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/12/11/minneapolis-experimental-homeless-shelter-opens
Article said that they started with 28 people who were chronically homeless, got that number down to 10 a year later, and eventually got it down to 3.
Like the pain and ADHD medication that many people have that commonly gets stolen or diverted for recreational use?
@katliamom hit the nail on the head.
There are basic, simple realities when it comes to this situation:
I know this viewpoint might not be well received, but instead of spending taxpayer money on homeless shelters and community outreach, why not spend it on funding some new psychiatric hospitals (to replace the ones that were shut down years ago) that can treat psychological disabilities and addiction? And as for teens & young adults who runaway or “drop out”, at some point the handouts and shelters have to give way to a little self awareness and accountability; the longer they’re getting charity & handouts, the harder it will be for them to stand on their own two feet and become productive, self sufficient members of society. Seems to me this would be more helpful.