6 ms·

Justify it to tourists? How to we justify it to ourselves. Richest city in the richest state in the richest country in the world and we can't even provide a p

by habosa 9y ago

Justify it to tourists? How to we justify it to ourselves. Richest city in the richest state in the richest country in the world and we can't even provide a place for people to live. It's a failure at every level, there are too many culprits to list. Aside: I thought it was a great touch that in this article each homeless person pictured was mentioned by name. Humanizing these people is something we can all do without spending a penny. If someone stops you on the street asking for a dollar, at least have the courtesy to look them in the eye and politely decline. I've had a number of people thank me more forcefully for that small gesture than actually giving them money (of course, give if you can!).

shiado 9y ago
It really goes beyond providing a place to live. As somebody who does not live in the US it blows my mind that if somebody has mental illness bad enough that they cannot keep a job, they then cannot have health insurance and so they cannot get help because they cannot afford it. It really seems like Americans have optimized their healthcare system so that those that don't need help are the ones most eligible for it (which is perfect if you are an insurance company).
- ars 9y ago
  > they then cannot have health insurance and so they cannot get help because they cannot afford it What? That's not true. People without income can get health insurance paid for by the state. It's called Medicaid, look it up. > which is perfect if you are an insurance company Again, what? That doesn't help insurance companies. They don't care, they'll just raise their rates. It helps the average person I suppose, although they end up paying for it in taxes, so it doesn't make a net difference. > As somebody who does not live in the US What you really are is someone who gets all their info about the US from the news. Please remember: If it's in the news it's not typical. Your impression about a county should be the opposite of whatever you read in the news.
  - DrScump 9y ago
    It's called Medicaid, In CA, it's called MediCal... but SF has its own program called Healthy SF as well.
- loorinm 9y ago
  Yup! You got it.
codeisawesome 9y ago
Yes it was indeed heartening to see names rather than “a homeless man”.
newbear 9y ago
What do say when you decline? I struggle with something that sounds appropriate. "Sorry"?
- thinkingkong 9y ago
  Kind and firm. “Sorry I cant help you today”
GuiA 9y ago
Thanks for this comment. I live in the Mission. When I have a friend come over from out of town, their first shock comes from the large number of homeless tents literally on my doorstep, a few blocks away from a major street (Valencia). I then take them for a walk. As I pass the empty block at 22nd and Mission, I tell them how it used to be a tall apartment building where poorer people lived under rent control for a long time, and the landlord burned it down because he couldn’t evict them and wasn’t happy with the money he was making. Second shock. https://missionlocal.org/tag/22nd-street-fire/ https://missionlocal.org/tag/22nd-street-fire/ Finally, we take a stroll to Dolores Park, and I point to them the house that Zuckerberg bought. There’s usually a homeless person hanging around, so one can provide a little verbal comment: “this person survives on a few dollars day, and a few floors above you have someone worth $80B“ There are no words to describe how screwed up things are.
- olivermarks 9y ago
  @GuiA I know your neighborhood well - until recently I had space below SF autoworks on 21st & Valencia. What you didn't mention about the Zuckerberg mansion is the constant security detail around it - private security in black full size Suburbans. Regarding 22nd & Mission it is amazing how quickly it all got torn down so an expensive apartment building could be erected. Corner lots and gas stations seem to have a lot of accidental damage in SF that results in them being quickly demolished. In my experience the vast majority of SF homeless have substance abuse issues overlaid over mental health problems. The streets are dirty and dangerous, but the dumpster diving behind restaurants and food stores are rich pickings compared to other west coast cities, according to street people I befriended.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- jahewson 9y ago
  > the landlord burned it down because he couldn’t evict them and wasn’t happy with the money he was making. I decided to fact-check this claim. It is not true. The fire started in a poorly maintained electrical box.
- masonic 9y ago
racer-v 9y ago
Richest city in the richest state in the richest country in the world and we can't even provide a place for people to live. To think this through: very few homeless people were born in San Francisco. Everyone has freedom of movement in this country. If San Francisco commits to house everyone within its municipal boundaries, we'll need to be prepared to house all the homeless from the rest of the state and the country as well. In other words, the problem has to be solved at a national level.
- habosa 9y ago
  http://sfist.com/2016/02/11/71_of_sf_homeless_once_had_homes_in.php http://sfist.com/2016/02/11/71_of_sf_homeless_once_had_homes... That's a common myth. 7/10 homeless people in SF were previously people with homes in SF.
  - racer-v 9y ago
    Actually, your link verifies my claim that most were not born in San Francisco: 29% already homeless when arriving here, plus 51% of the remaining 71% have lived here less than 10 years, means a minimum of 65% are transplanted from other areas. That's not saying we shouldn't help them, but just that this is a national problem, not one that San Francisco can solve unilaterally.
    - habosa 9y ago
      I have lived in San Francisco for only four years. Am I not deserving of the city's full services in hard times? I agree that the federal government needs to do a lot more, but cities can solve their own problems too. These people are our neighbors. We can do better for them.
      - racer-v 9y ago
        Why the "city's full services" and not America's full services? Shouldn't homeless people all over the nation be housed, not just the ones who come to San Francisco?

by habosa 9y ago

shiado 9y ago

It really goes beyond providing a place to live. As somebody who does not live in the US it blows my mind that if somebody has mental illness bad enough that they cannot keep a job, they then cannot have health insurance and so they cannot get help because they cannot afford it. It really seems like Americans have optimized their healthcare system so that those that don't need help are the ones most eligible for it (which is perfect if you are an insurance company).

ars 9y ago
> they then cannot have health insurance and so they cannot get help because they cannot afford it What? That's not true. People without income can get health insurance paid for by the state. It's called Medicaid, look it up. > which is perfect if you are an insurance company Again, what? That doesn't help insurance companies. They don't care, they'll just raise their rates. It helps the average person I suppose, although they end up paying for it in taxes, so it doesn't make a net difference. > As somebody who does not live in the US What you really are is someone who gets all their info about the US from the news. Please remember: If it's in the news it's not typical. Your impression about a county should be the opposite of whatever you read in the news.
- DrScump 9y ago
  It's called Medicaid, In CA, it's called MediCal... but SF has its own program called Healthy SF as well.
loorinm 9y ago
Yup! You got it.

codeisawesome 9y ago

Yes it was indeed heartening to see names rather than “a homeless man”.

newbear 9y ago

What do say when you decline? I struggle with something that sounds appropriate. "Sorry"?

thinkingkong 9y ago
Kind and firm. “Sorry I cant help you today”

GuiA 9y ago

Thanks for this comment. I live in the Mission. When I have a friend come over from out of town, their first shock comes from the large number of homeless tents literally on my doorstep, a few blocks away from a major street (Valencia). I then take them for a walk. As I pass the empty block at 22nd and Mission, I tell them how it used to be a tall apartment building where poorer people lived under rent control for a long time, and the landlord burned it down because he couldn’t evict them and wasn’t happy with the money he was making. Second shock. https://missionlocal.org/tag/22nd-street-fire/ https://missionlocal.org/tag/22nd-street-fire/ Finally, we take a stroll to Dolores Park, and I point to them the house that Zuckerberg bought. There’s usually a homeless person hanging around, so one can provide a little verbal comment: “this person survives on a few dollars day, and a few floors above you have someone worth $80B“ There are no words to describe how screwed up things are.

olivermarks 9y ago
@GuiA I know your neighborhood well - until recently I had space below SF autoworks on 21st & Valencia. What you didn't mention about the Zuckerberg mansion is the constant security detail around it - private security in black full size Suburbans. Regarding 22nd & Mission it is amazing how quickly it all got torn down so an expensive apartment building could be erected. Corner lots and gas stations seem to have a lot of accidental damage in SF that results in them being quickly demolished. In my experience the vast majority of SF homeless have substance abuse issues overlaid over mental health problems. The streets are dirty and dangerous, but the dumpster diving behind restaurants and food stores are rich pickings compared to other west coast cities, according to street people I befriended.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
jahewson 9y ago
> the landlord burned it down because he couldn’t evict them and wasn’t happy with the money he was making. I decided to fact-check this claim. It is not true. The fire started in a poorly maintained electrical box.
masonic 9y ago

racer-v 9y ago

Richest city in the richest state in the richest country in the world and we can't even provide a place for people to live. To think this through: very few homeless people were born in San Francisco. Everyone has freedom of movement in this country. If San Francisco commits to house everyone within its municipal boundaries, we'll need to be prepared to house all the homeless from the rest of the state and the country as well. In other words, the problem has to be solved at a national level.

habosa 9y ago
http://sfist.com/2016/02/11/71_of_sf_homeless_once_had_homes_in.php http://sfist.com/2016/02/11/71_of_sf_homeless_once_had_homes... That's a common myth. 7/10 homeless people in SF were previously people with homes in SF.
- racer-v 9y ago
  Actually, your link verifies my claim that most were not born in San Francisco: 29% already homeless when arriving here, plus 51% of the remaining 71% have lived here less than 10 years, means a minimum of 65% are transplanted from other areas. That's not saying we shouldn't help them, but just that this is a national problem, not one that San Francisco can solve unilaterally.
  - habosa 9y ago
    I have lived in San Francisco for only four years. Am I not deserving of the city's full services in hard times? I agree that the federal government needs to do a lot more, but cities can solve their own problems too. These people are our neighbors. We can do better for them.
    - racer-v 9y ago
      Why the "city's full services" and not America's full services? Shouldn't homeless people all over the nation be housed, not just the ones who come to San Francisco?