[pmoriarty]

"From 2013 to 2015 San Francisco experienced a 2% increase in the total number of homeless, while the nation as a whole saw a 5.2% decrease."

When I see a change in some hot button statistic, I always ask why.

Why are these homeless numbers decreasing? Are the homeless people finding homes or are they dying? Or maybe they're moving or being moved somewhere else.

I heard there was once a plan to round up all the homeless people in San Francisco and ship them off to Treasure Island. Would that have solved the "problem" or would it just be a case of "out of sight, out of mind"?

I've also been told that a lot of homeless people in NYC, for instance, just die in the brutal winters -- especially if they're forced outdoors by police, everpresent locked and unwelcoming doors, and horrific shelters.

Similar questions should be asked about why homeless numbers are rising in SF.

[ktRolster]

Those changes look small enough that they could be natural variance.

[e7c6ht6iad]

In the US - unemployment is down, incomes are up, it's easier at the margin to afford a place to live.

In SF - great economy doesn't help people on the margin when there is not enough housing.