3 ms·
It probably was the case 5 years ago that most homeless people in the US has some kind of mental problem. These people were almost all men and you would see the
by njarboe 9y ago
It probably was the case 5 years ago that most homeless people in the US has some kind of mental problem. These people were almost all men and you would see them sleeping on the sidewalks or parks with almost nothing in the way of possessions. Now, at least in Oakland, there are tents everywhere. From single ones trying not to get noticed to tent cities with 10-50 tents all in one area. Many of these people have a piles of possessions and some still have jobs. Maybe not quite on the scale of Hoovervilles in the Great Depression, but getting there.
- webnrrd2k 9y agoI'm confused... Are you saying homelessness can't be a mental health issue because they now have tents? Or because they have possessions?
- njarboe 9y agoNot at all. I even stated directly that in the recent past most homeless people had mental health issues. Now added to this first group are people that just can't afford the rent and have been evicted or pushed onto the street.
- toasterlovin 9y agoI truly have no idea what the situation actually is, but here is an, IMO, plausible explanation: policing practices around homelessness have changed as a result of changing attitudes toward the homeless (toward increasing acceptance) and this has created an environment in which the homeless are now able to accumulate possessions and erect semi-permanent shelters. Another, plausible scenario (again, IMO): if certain liberal cities have a reputation for being relatively accepting toward the homeless, there may be a simultaneous net migration of homeless from less accepting parts of the country to these cities.