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Hard to say about the UK for sure without further research. During college in Utah I was sad each winter to regularly read stories in the newspaper about homel
by jaytaylor 8y ago
Hard to say about the UK for sure without further research.
During college in Utah I was sad each winter to regularly read stories in the newspaper about homeless people found frozen to death in parks.
After President Jimmy Carter closed the mental institutions in the 70s, the mentally ill people were just let out of the asylums without any plan or further support from the state.
Since then, homelessness has grown into a ubiquitous and rampant problem throughout the United States.
Especially true in sunny California, and doubly so in San Francisco. SF seems to have become the Homeless Capital of the world. A sad and embarrassing state of affairs for a "leading" first world country.
To be clear, the amount homelessness in California is not due to lack of improvement efforts. The City of San Francisco alone pours a quarter of a billion dollars annually into services for the homeless. Despite such efforts, more than half of the homeless in the city remain unsheltered.
- andyburke 8y agoNot sure why you think Carter closed the mental institutions: "1980 President Jimmy Carter signs the Mental Health Systems Act to improve on Kennedy’s dream [JFK wanted to create a network of community mental health centers where mentally ill people could live in the community while receiving care.]. 1981 President Reagan repeals Carter’s legislation with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. This pushes the responsibility of mentally ill patients back to the states. The legislation creates block grants for the states, but federal spending on mental illness declines." https://www.kqed.org/news/11209729/did-the-emptying-of-mental-hospitals-contribute-to-homelessness-here https://www.kqed.org/news/11209729/did-the-emptying-of-menta...
- Diederich 8y agoI'm on board with everything you said except about Jimmy Carter closing mental institutions; that's quite the opposite of what happened. It was his successor, Ronald Reagan, who was instrumental in closing many mental health services. As far as California, specifically the bay area: it's a hell of a mess. Beyond people living on the streets, there is a growing group of people living in RVs. I took these pics near my office in Palo Alto a couple of weeks ago: https://photos.app.goo.gl/tJKzrSZmaU8HW1NaA https://photos.app.goo.gl/tJKzrSZmaU8HW1NaA
- tomatotomato37 8y agoRV's are essentially mobile homes with the driving unit built in, so I wouldn't really call that homeless. Illegally parked, but not homeless
- Diederich 8y agoRight. I don't think of them as homeless per se. They're certainly in an unenviable position. Also: at least in Mountain View and Palo Alto, these are not all necessarily illegally parked. They need to be moved every couple of days, but at the moment, the cities aren't pressing the issue.
- jaytaylor 8y agoThanks for the correction @Diederich, it was before I was alive and you are absolutely right- blame Reagan.