California homelessness? (sales, crime, homes)

[Artist83]

Do most cities and town in CA have a homeless problem?

[wac_432]

Yes, there is a homeless problem due to the high cost of housing.
The vagrancy, drug use, and crime that most people associate with the word "homeless" is actually better in CA than in most places.

This summer, I visited towns in California, Colorado, and Ohio.

The California towns are beautiful, walkable, with great civic engagement and year-round great weather. They also have pockets of the tent cities of the homeless that are a real eyesore. There is almost no urban or suburban blight. You will have the occasional drunken, high, and/or mentally-ill vagrant wandering around disturbing the peace.

The Colorado towns are pretty, spread-out, with moderate civic engagement and nice weather at certain times of year. There are fewer tents and homeless "camps" but there is a moderate degree of urban and suburban blight; dilapidated homes and housing projects with very high levels of vagrancy and crime. There are more drunken, high, and/or mentally-ill vagrants disturbing the peace.

The Ohio towns are not great, spread-out, with poor civic engagement and very limited periods of decent weather. There are almost no tents or homeless camps (due to cold weather making such structures unlivable for much of the year). There is a very high degree of urban and suburban blight. There are areas of town that are simply unsafe due to vagrancy and crime, night or day.

After witnessing all this, I'm not convinced that reducing homelessness is much of a solution to the problems of vagrancy and crime.

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by Artist83

Do most cities and town in CA have a homeless problem?

Depends on how the County and cities run them and their location and amenities.

[mr peanut]

Yes, it's very bad all over CA , there is a homeless camp right across the street , you cant get rid of them , the police cant do anything unless the property owner makes a complaint , and there is a lot of empty lots where they camp , lots of trash , abandoned vehicles , stripped vehicles , fires , drug use , drug sales , they leave a path of destruction everywhere they go


These people are organized , they all band together and form some type of homeless union, most of the ones in my area are drug addicts, meth users , criminals , tweakers , they never sleep and roam the neighborhood all night long


every town , every city has them , CA has the highest homeless population in the USA , they come in from all over.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by mr peanut

Yes, it's very bad all over CA , there is a homeless camp right across the street , you cant get rid of them , the police cant do anything unless the property owner makes a complaint , and there is a lot of empty lots where they camp , lots of trash , abandoned vehicles , stripped vehicles , fires , drug use , drug sales , they leave a path of destruction everywhere they go


These people are organized , they all band together and form some type of homeless union, most of the ones in my area are drug addicts, meth users , criminals , tweakers , they never sleep and roam the neighborhood all night long


every town , every city has them , CA has the highest homeless population in the USA , they come in from all over.

No. They don’t (come in from all over). Between 85% and 90% are from the regions when you find them now homeless.

Yes, I can back that up with research from multiple sources: gov’t, ngo, academia … the VA study alone is most impressive.

That said, I refer to the full homeless population. There is that segment, however, that are rovers and “travelers” … and these are typically trouble. But you’ll find them all across the nation.

[mr peanut]

why do you think CA has the highest numbers of homeless? they cant all be locals , some come here for the weather, some for the benefits , some because welfare pays better in CA then where they came from


if you ever watched a youtube show called LEES CHANNEL he interviews a lot of homeless, and many are not locals they came to SF from other places.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by mr peanut

why do you think CA has the highest numbers of homeless? they cant all be locals , some come here for the weather, some for the benefits , some because welfare pays better in CA then where they came from


if you ever watched a youtube show called LEES CHANNEL he interviews a lot of homeless, and many are not locals they came to SF from other places.

75% of homeless are homeless for less than 12 months. These people mostly stay where they were last housed, employed, have friends and family … because that’s how they recover and reintegrate.

Of the 25% who are chronically homeless you have:

* severely mentally ill … who basically don’t know where they are, don’t care coherently, and are incapable of conceiving, planning, and executing travel … or who have established benefits venues they know and cling to where they are

* addicts / alcoholics who cling to their dealers and local resources for their habits

* severely ill / disabled who also will not / cannot leave their established benefit venues

… and then you have the vagabonds I previously mentioned … some of whom do travel.

Youtube is not a credible research resource.

I have assisted various homeless (especially veterans) on and off for over 30 years, finding benefits, housing, medical services, suicide counseling … I can cite and link research for everything I’ve just written. But somehow you don’t strike me as being really interested to learn the factual realities.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by mr peanut

why do you think CA has the highest numbers of homeless?.

… Because homelessness is often a sad collateral effect of a combination of a strong economy with lots of high-end opportunity in a highly desirable location. That would be California. The success and attractiveness of the state attracts wealthy individuals and developers who build and market to them. This pushes marginalized populations out of low cost housing that is converted to higher end use.

[mr peanut]

most of the homeless Ive seen never had a job to begin with they are bums, they are not recent they have been this way for years


homeless is a lifestyle , a lot of them they prefer to live on the street


I would say it's a lot more than 25% being chronically homeless

[skeddy]

what a great place to be homeless, they have so many free programs and the weather is so nice in the Southern areas. Why live anywhere else in that circumstance?