[wburg]

If the approach really is two-fisted--both stepped-up enforcement by police and support services/housing solutions--then it might be interesting to see how it turns out. The traditional method in San Francisco, preferred by Willie Brown, was simply to push homeless people from one neighborhood to another without providing services that might be of use to help them actually get off the streets.

Sacramento does have a program underway, the dramatically-titled "Ten-Year Plan To End Chronic Homelessneess," which aims to provide both housing and case management services to around 1000 chronic homeless individuals within the next decade.

The folks targeted are the ones who have been on the street the longest, with the most serious problems: those homeless a year or more, with serious mental illness and/or substance abuse problems. These are also the ones that tend to consume the lion's share of police resources, emergency room services, shelter beds, and other services. The idea is that once you get someone off the street, and provide them with support rather than just dumping them somewhere, they can begin addressing other issues in their life.

Using the "housing first" model used in other cities (including New York, Portland and others) to remove the worst-off from the streets (by offering them housing and support) allows the majority of the homeless population, who tend to be on the street for a shorter time and use fewer services, to better utilize available resources to get off the street. Think of it like unclogging a clogged drain: take care of the worst part of the system first, and the rest works that much more smoothly.

Jailing people for criminal offenses is just fine in my book--I'm a law and order guy in that respect. But a jail is a lousy substitute for homeless shelters, or permanent housing for homeless individuals--it's a hell of a lot more expensive, and unlike housing/case management, doesn't do anything to solve the problem.