How Bad is the Homeless Problem in Your City & Is Anything Being Done to Solve It?

[pdxtex]

do Canadian citizens, even out of work ones get some kind of federal benefit even if they don't have a home? I don't think such a thing exists in the states. if you aren't working and don't have some kind of retirement deal like social security, you are pretty much left to the wolves....

[Gantz]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

do Canadian citizens, even out of work ones get some kind of federal benefit even if they don't have a home? I don't think such a thing exists in the states. if you aren't working and don't have some kind of retirement deal like social security, you are pretty much left to the wolves....

In the states, you can get food stamps/SNAP. Also, if you have kids you get free health insurance including dental (Medicaid). If you have illness or disability you can apply for SSI, and there are various housing subsidies such as Section 8, that heavily subsidize rent (including all utilities), and you get a free smartphone with a data plan (that's why you see even homeless people with phones nowadays). Plus there are other various state/local programs.

There are certain people who have been living unemployed for literally generations. Especially, once you have kids and you are fat (to get SSI) you are definitely better off than the lower middle class in third world countries for example. A person in the projects in NYC has better standard of living than a factory worker in South Korea, if you only factor in the monetary side of things. They can afford an Xbox, a nice flat screen TV, and pretty much whatever food they want.

[pdxtex]

^^^im talking about folks even further down the rung that might not be organized enough to apply for that stuff. like emergency "life" fund....sorry to sound naïve on the subject. I assume some of older guys might be vets but how many grizzled nam vets living on the streets can be left. im pretty sure new homeless folks under 30 are either just begging for money or steal sh!t. ive even seen the hobo pimp drop off people to beg on the off ramp from his car. its a racket in some places...

[NorthernDancer]

I live in downtown Toronto. Toronto does have homeless like any major city, but the homeless problem here is a fraction as bad as I've seen in other cities.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

do Canadian citizens, even out of work ones get some kind of federal benefit even if they don't have a home? I don't think such a thing exists in the states. if you aren't working and don't have some kind of retirement deal like social security, you are pretty much left to the wolves....

In CA, they get "general assistance" as I posted above. But a remarkable percentage of the homeless qualify for other benefits including veterans benefits and Social Security Disability benefits.

In San Francisco:

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents in 2015 reported they were receiving some form of government assistance, up from 54% in 2013. The largest percentage of respondents (40%) reported receiving CalFresh (food stamps) and/or WIC (women, infants, and children food assistance), a slight increase from 2013.

Thirty percent (30%) of respondents in 2015 reported receiving County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP) or General Assistance (GA), up from 19% in 2013. 16% SSI, SSDI, or non-veteran disability bene ts, up from 13%in 2013. Twenty percent (20%) reported they were receiving Medi-Cal/MediCare, more than double the 8% of respondents in 2013. Fewer than 3% of respondents reported receiving CalWORKs or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Of those who reported they were not receiving any form of government support, the greatest percentage reported they did not want assistance (40%). Seventeen percent (17%) did not think they were eligible for services, 13% reported they had never applied, 4% had applied and were waiting for a response, and 5% reported they had been turned down.

Respondents also reported challenges applying for services; 14% reported they did not have the required identi cation, 7% reported no permanent address to use on applications and 6% reported the paperwork was too di cult. Fewer than 3% reported they did not know where to go to seek assistance . . . .

https://sfgov.org/lhcb/sites/default...20Report_0.pdf *

*This survey of SF's homeless has a lot of good information in it.

[mhays]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

^^^I assume some of older guys might be vets but how many grizzled nam vets living on the streets can be left. im pretty sure new homeless folks under 30 are either just begging for money or steal sh!t.

I seem to recall wars in Iraq and Afghanistan...

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by mhays

I seem to recall wars in Iraq and Afghanistan...

Yeah, but most of the sign flyers I encounter here in Austin who identify as "Viet Nam War Vets" seem to be 20 years younger than me. I am 71, and I was prime draft age during the Viet Nam War. These bums were in diapers. Not too many homeless survive long on the streets past 60.

[pdxtex]

Originally Posted by mhays

I seem to recall wars in Iraq and Afghanistan...

ive seriously seen one guy under the age of 40 try the veteran down on his luck gig. for some reason that doesnt seem too popular. if you are young and asking for money, your probably a gutter punk. actually, i dont even see that many people asking for money in portland any more. i just see encampments. i wonder if people gave up being charitable and they tents folks are just up to larceny. the car prowl map of nw portland is impressive.

[austlar1]

Here in Austin we have sign flyers at each corner of every major intersection in every quarter of the city. Certain intersections seem to be valued turf, and more than one or two violent encounters have taken place over "ownership" of these franchises. I get particularly upset with the assholes that stand on a narrow high traffic turn lane curb with a terrified and over heated dog as a prop to gain sympathy.

I am not downtown much, but word is that aggressive panhandling is endemic to the area. Hundreds of rowdy and frequently drug impaired homeless congregate in an area where multiple homeless services are located that also happens to be directly adjacent to one of the most popular and busy night life districts. There are two or three new hotels within spitting distance of this area, and the complaints are loud and frequent. The entire area to the north is slated to be upgraded and developed as an "enterprise zone" for the UT Austin Medical School complex, and the adjacent Waller Creek, a pretty but very nasty (human excrement everywhere) and popular shooting gallery/camp site for homeless, is also slated to be turned into a trendy new park and entertainment zone. It is time for the homeless to move elsewhere, but everybody is just BAFFLED trying to figure out a location in the city to relocate homeless services. Aggressive policing happens from time to time, but it never last long enough to make a real difference. Austin is hopelessly big hearted and liberal in these matters, so any efforts to get tough will meet much opposition and NIMBYism too.

[pdxtex]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Here in Austin we have sign flyers at each corner of every major intersection in every quarter of the city. Certain intersections seem to be valued turf, and more than one or two violent encounters have taken place over "ownership" of these franchises. I get particularly upset with the assholes that stand on a narrow high traffic turn lane curb with a terrified and over heated dog as a prop to gain sympathy.

I am not downtown much, but word is that aggressive panhandling is endemic to the area. Hundreds of rowdy and frequently drug impaired homeless congregate in an area where multiple homeless services are located that also happens to be directly adjacent to one of the most popular and busy night life districts. There are two or three new hotels within spitting distance of this area, and the complaints are loud and frequent. The entire area to the north is slated to be upgraded and developed as an "enterprise zone" for the UT Austin Medical School district, and the adjacent Waller Creek, a pretty but very nasty (human excrement everywhere) and popular shooting gallery/camp site for homeless, is also slated to be turned into a trendy new park and entertainment zone. It is time for the homeless to move elsewhere, but everybody is just BAFFLED trying to figure out a location in the city to relocate homeless services. Aggressive policing happens from time to time, but it never last long enough to make a real difference. Austin is hopelessly big hearted and liberal in these matters, so any efforts to get tough will meet much opposition and NIMBYism too.

and its always from the dinks that live furthest from the actual problem. ie, the outer ring neighborhoods and suburbs, especially church groups from the sticks who think they are on some kind of noble quest to save the heathens. no dude, you are contributing to the problem. do not feed the bears! try living downtown in the mix. your sympathy for hobos will last about 6 months.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

and its always from the dinks that live furthest from the actual problem. ie, the outer ring neighborhoods and suburbs, especially church groups from the sticks who think they are on some kind of noble quest to save the heathens. no dude, you are contributing to the problem. do not feed the bears! try living downtown in the mix. your sympathy for hobos will last about 6 months.

Around here opposition to moving homeless services to a "cordon sanitaire" or cracking down on street vagrancy comes from a variety of sources, some politically motivated and trying to push affordable housing agendas (that won't make the slightest dent in the homeless problem) and others tormented by liberal guilt (I am a liberal by the way) who want to view homelessness in the simplest of terms that tend to ignore the fact that most of the visible homeless population can't be placed in traditional housing arrangements due to mental health, criminal behaviors, and substance abuse. Suburbanites and residents of outer ring suburbs take little interest in the subject except to engage in NIMBY activities to prevent the creep of homelessness from infecting their neighborhoods.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

and its always from the dinks that live furthest from the actual problem. ie, the outer ring neighborhoods and suburbs, especially church groups from the sticks who think they are on some kind of noble quest to save the heathens. no dude, you are contributing to the problem. do not feed the bears! try living downtown in the mix. your sympathy for hobos will last about 6 months.

This could not be more true.. You should see the the dinks that comment on the downtown LA Facebook groups. The ones that don't live in the area are the most opinionated of all. They are always the ones that think we don't have enough compassion or empathy and that these poor souls are only a hug away from being Bill gates. Naive imbeciles

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Yeah, but most of the sign flyers I encounter here in Austin who identify as "Viet Nam War Vets" seem to be 20 years younger than me. I am 71, and I was prime draft age during the Viet Nam War. These bums were in diapers. Not too many homeless survive long on the streets past 60.

The official "Vietnam War Era" lasted until May 1975. That means someone could be as young as perhaps 58 and be officially a "Vietnam vet".

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

ive seriously seen one guy under the age of 40 try the veteran down on his luck gig. for some reason that doesnt seem too popular. if you are young and asking for money, your probably a gutter punk. actually, i dont even see that many people asking for money in portland any more. i just see encampments. i wonder if people gave up being charitable and they tents folks are just up to larceny. the car prowl map of nw portland is impressive.

Anyone who served a day in the military is a "veteran". As has been repeatedly said, most long-term homeless have drug/alcohol/mental illness issues. These same problems can lead to a very brief military career (that is, as brief as a week or two of "boot camp") but, depending on the type of discharge, such a person may still be a "veteran" entitled to VA services. As a physician who worked at a Navy boot camp, I helped point numerous new recruits toward the door because they had one or more of the sort of problem that made them both incompatible with military service and likely to end up homeless.

[Leo the Dog]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

ive seriously seen one guy under the age of 40 try the veteran down on his luck gig. for some reason that doesnt seem too popular. if you are young and asking for money, your probably a gutter punk. actually, i dont even see that many people asking for money in portland any more. i just see encampments. i wonder if people gave up being charitable and they tents folks are just up to larceny. the car prowl map of nw portland is impressive.

I agree that a lot of these young guys are just burned out druggies that became addicted from popping pills or what have you.

However, there are a lot of young men coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq that would be in the late 20's/early 30's that have PTSD. Instead of seeking professional help, some have chosen to self medicate to escape their reality. Self-medicating often leads to substance abuse and addiction. They might not be homeless right now, but they could go down that road if they don't address the demons in their heads and continue to self-medicate.

[harryc]

The first - very first thing - is to face up to the problem.
Call a spade a spade
The problem is not homelessness, it is psychiatric and drugs.

Blame Reagan, he took the movement to de-institutionalize psych patients and used it to totally remove all care for those who need psych care - some need aggressive and forced psych care.

The problem is a mental health one, not an affordable housing one.

[10023]

The West Coast sounds really bad. Ultimately these people are sick (mentally ill) and need to be committed. There's just no other way to deal with it.

[jtown,man]

Originally Posted by harryc

The first - very first thing - is to face up to the problem.
Call a spade a spade
The problem is not homelessness, it is psychiatric and drugs.

Blame Reagan, he took the movement to de-institutionalize psych patients and used it to totally remove all care for those who need psych care - some need aggressive and forced psych care.

The problem is a mental health one, not an affordable housing one.

Why are liberals still "blaming Reagan?" We have had 16 years of Democrat presidents since then....and nothing has been changed. Blame them all.

[jtown,man]

I second the downtown thing. I live downtown Norfolk, and I have pretty much a script now for homeless and college kids trying to sell magazines:
"I live down here and I get bothered everytime I leave the house, sorry."

And its true. It gets old and you start to stop caring. I will say though, I gave a young dude some money and food ONE time since ive been down here because something about him stuck me. Other than that, I have ZERO issue being blunt with people when it affects me at least weekly. When you live in a nice neighborhood or suburb its easy to be generous. When you live down here its harder to be nice.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

The official "Vietnam War Era" lasted until May 1975. That means someone could be as young as perhaps 58 and be officially a "Vietnam vet".

Here are the stats on US deployment in Viet Nam by year. Maybe a few of the "Viet Nam Vets" out there flying signs actually were in Viet Nam, but not very many. http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/vietnam/vwatl.htm