[kldaace]

Two big problems with just moving people into shelters:

1. Homeless shelters are horribly funded and have long waiting lists for beds. This proposal provides no additional funding. My guess is most people will be forced to take the bus ticket option.

2. Shelter beds themselves are poorly maintained, unsanitary, and often have bed bugs. It sounds counter-intuitive but a lot of homeless people are _choosing_ the streets over homeless shelters.

To be honest, I think the people bankrolling this bid know that moving people into shelters is unfeasible, and they're cynically hoping to just bus the homeless out of San Francisco.

[feklar]

Many shelters also have rules that nobody can adhere to like curfew hours or being forced to stand in line everyday to get a spot first come first served. Often you can't book more than one night at a time so you have to spend a significant part of your day, everyday, securing your temporary bed and storage for that night so if you have a job you can't stay at a shelter.

It's much better to just live out of a tent. Problem is people in squatter tents tend to get ridiculously drunk every night, light their tent on fire accidentally or spend all night screaming and fighting with each other thus police get called and their tent city dismantled.

The Salvation Army from what I've seen has the best system going. You can book 3 months, and they help you with employment. You get your own room and there's not a lot of rules besides no alcohol or drugs allowed in the building. This is where most of the homeless go who fell through the social safety net for whatever reasons, and they can save 3 months of income to get back on their feet whereas the addicts, chronic homeless by choice, and mentally ill are the ones in tent cities.

[M_Grey]

The biggest issue with shelters is also that they're incredibly unsafe, much of the time. Rape, robbery, and assault are commonplace.

[Camillo]

   Y: "There are too many homeless here, it feels unsafe."
   A: "How dare you! Those are human beings!"
   Y: "Why can't they stay in shelters?"
   A: "They feel unsafe, there are too many homeless there."

It would be funny if it weren't tragic.

[M_Grey]

What's tragic is that you think warehousing people who are overwhelmingly addicts, or mentally ill would be workable. The term, 'Bedlam' springs to mind.

Besides, it's almost like different homeless people are... different... people.

[Camillo]

That is not what I think.

[M_Grey]

I can only read posts, not minds.

[traek]

And even your ability to read posts is questionable, given that ~Camillo didn't write any of the words you're putting into their mouth.

[JoeAltmaier]

But sadly less unsafe than the street. It sucks to be homeless big time.

[M_Grey]

It does suck, but safety on the streets is highly variable depending on your experience and what you're trying to be safe from. If your bad experiences are getting groped every night, the risk of death from exposure or someone hassling you on the streets may seem more desirable.

[rm_-rf_slash]

Daily survival is not a game theory problem. If I were homeless and expected sexual assault at shelters I would probably feel so insecure there that I would end up trying to live on the street instead, even at the risk of freezing.

It's not a rational choice but sexual assault does not often result in (or come from) rational decisions.

[j45]

Theres a number of initiatives to end homelessness and how much of the public cost and burden is lowered by ending homelessness first.

The housing first principle is an interesting thing to look into -- has been successful in some areas at greatly reducing issues and helping people improve their position in life.

http://homelesshub.ca/gallery/housing-first-principles