The Perpetual Problem

Never have I seen so many homeless people as I'm seeing here in San Francisco.
On the one hand it's a shocking sight, as they push their lives around in trolley carts, lay wrapped up in blankets on discarded mattresses, or simply wander about aimlessly, arguing with themselves.
On the other hand though, their ubiquity throughout the city makes it seem almost normal. An acceptable part of everyday life where the usual feelings of pity, anger or annoyance no longer apply.

Whilst Los Angeles bears the ugly title of USA's homeless capital (LA's 'Skid Row' area alone has almost as many homeless as the whole of SF) this is when measured in sheer numbers. When measured per head of population, it's the Golden Gate State that comes out on top.

The city spends 200 million dollars a year trying to help ease the problem, and changing tack from simple cash handouts to a 'Care not Cash' program, including councelling, job training and medical care has shown some positive, if not overwhelming, results.


The very nature of the homeless makes exact statistic gathering difficult. It is thought from various studies though that in The US:

23% are veterans (compared to 13% of general population) half of them from the Vietnam era.
25% were physically or sexually abused as children.
27% were in foster care or similar institutions as children.
54% were incarcerated at some point in their lives.
22% are considered to have serious mental illnesses, or are disabled.
30% have substance abuse problems.

Homelessness seems to be the untreatable problem, especially as so many of their problems begin many years before they ever hit the streets. I don't know what the solution is, but as the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest continues to widen, I don't think it's a problem that'll dissappear anytime soon.