[throwasehasdwi]

Yeah homeless people are not the same people that could afford any type of home most of the time. They're overwhelmingly people with mental and/or drug issues that prevent them from holding a job. Much more likely is that SF has many factors that make it a nice place to be homeless so these people migrate to it.

[cassieramen]

I disagree. I think there are certainly people who need mental health/drug counseling but for those that seek it is has to be impossible to get on your feet. I can see a spiral where you seek help, get better, but then you can't afford a place to live. You can't find a job since you don't have an address or you do find a job but can't save fast enough to afford an apartment. So, you go back to living on the streets and you slide back down.

[ameister14]

Do you actually see this spiral personally or do you envision it?

[xenadu02]

> They're overwhelmingly people with mental and/or drug issues that prevent them from holding a job

Citation needed.

Homeless people with drug problems or mental illness are the most likely to be visibly homeless, acting out, and/or harassing people so perhaps confirmation bias makes you believe they represent the majority? In reality a minority of homeless people (~35%) have drug, alcohol, or metal problems.

The majority of homeless people are depressed and ashamed of being homeless and trying desperately to get off the streets. They lose their job or get evicted and don't have any family they can turn to, causing a downward spiral. Even if you have the money to rent an apartment you're fighting people who can pre-pay a year's worth of rent (thanks to large signing bonuses).

I don't know the breakdown but it is undeniable that some portion of the homeless in the Bay Area are homeless as a direct result of housing being so unaffordable.

>Much more likely is that SF has many factors that make it a nice place to be homeless so these people migrate to it.

That's wrong; 70%+ were residents of SF when they became homeless. Only 10% are from outside California and most of them said they came here on promise of a job, to find family, etc.

[mahyarm]

I've heard some statistic that the non mentally ill homeless tend to get back on their feet in about a year on average in SF. The mentally ill chronic homeless that everyone can see need mental health services.

[rsj_hn]

> In reality a minority of homeless people (~35%) have drug, alcohol, or metal problems.

Citation needed.

In reality, when people are complaining about homelessness, it's the chronic homeless, not temporarily homeless. 1/3 have drug problems and 2/3 have mental or physical disabilities. Those 1/3 and 2/3 pools don't perfectly overlap, so the amount of people who have neither drug nor disabilities is very small.

https://www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-housing

[bradleyjg]

Inexpensive housing opens up options, for both the public and private sector, that don't exist where all the housing is eye wateringly expensive.

[pizza]

It's not unreasonable to say that people get labeled as having mental issues because of not having a job, which causes a feedback loop, etc.