4 ms·

Well, where is this invisible majority hiding? No RVs at all in Santa Monica, limited parking in general, close to zero tents, a limited number of parks, and n

Well, where is this invisible majority hiding? No RVs at all in Santa Monica, limited parking in general, close to zero tents, a limited number of parks, and no forests. The city proper is filled with tent encampments but is otherwise not that much different.

tehwebguy 5y ago
I’m not sure what you are getting at? Being in a tent doesn’t mean someone is mentally ill or using hard drugs.
- jsjohns2 5y ago
  > I’m not sure what you are getting at? There is one general characterization of a homeless person who has severe mental illness or is in the throes of addiction. There is another of a person who is simply down on his luck. He sleeps in his car on a side street at night, showers at the local YMCA, and takes the bus to his minimum wage job. If housing was cheaper, or if government assistance better, then he could afford a small apartment. I agree that the latter exist and I think you would agree that the former exists. The data suggests that the majority of the population falls into the latter camp. What I'm getting at is -- we should treat the data with more skepticism. It doesn't match what I see with my own eyes. Something is off. Either my eyes are grossly deceiving me or it's just wrong. Yes, I'm more likely to overestimate the number in the former camp than underestimate -- but it's just overwhelming. The ratio seems like it's 100:1 not 7:3 or something. They can't be that good at blending into society. > Being in a tent doesn’t mean someone is mentally ill or using hard drugs. My intuition is that there is a very tight correlation between the two. It seems almost tautological to me that someone who chooses* to live in filth in a tent on a median or under an overpass is mentally ill. Maybe I'm wrong. * "Chooses", not in the sense that they should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get a job, but in the sense that -- why don't they put up their tent in a cleaner less densely populated part of town and take a free bus ride into town?

tehwebguy 5y ago

I’m not sure what you are getting at? Being in a tent doesn’t mean someone is mentally ill or using hard drugs.

jsjohns2 5y ago
> I’m not sure what you are getting at? There is one general characterization of a homeless person who has severe mental illness or is in the throes of addiction. There is another of a person who is simply down on his luck. He sleeps in his car on a side street at night, showers at the local YMCA, and takes the bus to his minimum wage job. If housing was cheaper, or if government assistance better, then he could afford a small apartment. I agree that the latter exist and I think you would agree that the former exists. The data suggests that the majority of the population falls into the latter camp. What I'm getting at is -- we should treat the data with more skepticism. It doesn't match what I see with my own eyes. Something is off. Either my eyes are grossly deceiving me or it's just wrong. Yes, I'm more likely to overestimate the number in the former camp than underestimate -- but it's just overwhelming. The ratio seems like it's 100:1 not 7:3 or something. They can't be that good at blending into society. > Being in a tent doesn’t mean someone is mentally ill or using hard drugs. My intuition is that there is a very tight correlation between the two. It seems almost tautological to me that someone who chooses* to live in filth in a tent on a median or under an overpass is mentally ill. Maybe I'm wrong. * "Chooses", not in the sense that they should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get a job, but in the sense that -- why don't they put up their tent in a cleaner less densely populated part of town and take a free bus ride into town?