[jwlstn]

If this were true why are the giant homeless populations almost exclusively in insanely expensive housing markets like SF, LA, NYC?

Drug addiction is far worse in WV yet they don't have a major homeless problem.

Explain this discrepency please if it's all because of drugs

[jelliclesfarm]

It seems like they are literally bussing in homeless into San Francisco because of the services and money. It has become a drug distribution hub that is supported by the govt and tax money. There is little to no consequence for peddling drugs on the streets right under the nose of law enforcement.

[scelerat]

Do you have a source for this?

[foobarian]

Of those 3 I can explain SF and LA (nice weather) but no idea about NYC.

[jwlstn]

Every single one of the cities with large homeless populations have absurdly high housing costs.

All the people in this thread are refusing to acknowledge that may play some causal factor because the solution might involve slightly lowering their property values.

[pandaman]

Martha's Vineyard, Malibu, both Hamptons etc have even higher housing costs yet no homeless. It appears you've found a correlation without causation.

[readthenotes1]

I think we saw recently why Martha's Vinyard has little or no homeless

[pandaman]

Yeah, it turns out the government's will to enforce the law trumps the RE cost w.r.t vagrancy.

[twblalock]

It's because places like SF, LA, and NYC tolerate it more than other cities. It's that simple.

[jwlstn]

So is your assertion that cities in WV "disappear" their homeless population?

Show your work here. It's actually not simple at all because per capita drug abuse is far worse in WV so if that's the causal mechanism then you should see tons of homeless in WV.

[twblalock]

They go to other places.

[profile53]

The discrepancy is because this is untrue. Almost every city on the west coast I’ve been to has a large and obvious homeless population.

[jwlstn]

...and what do we know about housing costs of cities on the west coast?

You're getting REALLY close to getting this.

[gnicholas]

I think part of the reason SF and LA have large homeless populations is because of the temperate climate. It's much easier to survive a winter outside in LA than in WV. NYC is a different story, and I'm not sure that if they have the same number of homeless on a per-capita basis as cities like LA, SF, and Sacramento.

[Gibbon1]

Friend of my from the east coast said he found a figure that about 25% of unsheltered homeless in the east coast die every winter.