Homeless in California

[Deleted member 9838]

I stumbled upon this video today. It reminded me of the times I went to Oregon and southern California and noticed how homelessness seemed to be more welcomed on the west coast than on the east. Not to say it is a pleasant life but that it is easier to get by if you're homeless in Cali, Oregon or Washington. Would anyone agree with this? I've also noticed there are some subcultures which exhibit homelessness (hippies, punk anarchy people). I feel like you don't see this on the east coast and that these kind of places aren't allowed to form. What are people's thoughts on this video?

 

[Sinfamy]

Portland here, this has to stop.
It's so terrible, the city doesn't do anything.
My girlfriend has been harassed, catcalled and followed on her way home multiple times downtown.
There's been multiple shootings and stabbings on my school campus.
The streets for blocks and blocks smell like piss, im so sick and tired of it.
Almost none of them seem to be from around here, huge drug addiction problems with open usage in plain daylight.

This should be a national emergency.

 

[Deleted member 135]

Other states ship them to the West Coast because they won't freeze to death overnight.

 

[Deleted member 9838]

Portland here, this has to stop.
It's so terrible, the city doesn't do anything.
My girlfriend has been harassed, catcalled and followed on her way home multiple times downtown.
There's been multiple shootings and stabbings on my school campus.
The streets for blocks and blocks smell like piss, im so sick and tired of it.
Almost none of them seem to be from around here, huge drug addiction problems with open usage in plain daylight.

This should be a national emergency.

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I've noticed there is a discrepancy between being homeless, black and a local vs being homeless, white and a hippie punk traveler. The latter travel to Cali cause it's cool and they're "free" and set up a life there living off others.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

In Jersey there are few 'tent communities' which I'm ok with. By and large they keep to themselves, keep the area clean and don't bother people.

The homeless I've encountered in San Francisco though? Yeah, those are a whole other ballgame. I'm not talking about the hippie or punk folks chilling in Haight/Ashbury or GGP, I'm talking about the ones all around the Tenderloin, SoMA and FiDi.

 

[ahoyhoy]

Other states ship them to the West Coast because they won't freeze to death overnight.

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I don't think they have to ship them there.

If I were homeless I'd definitely scrape together enough money for a bus ticket to Cali. Right off the bat you don't have to worry about exposure.

 

[Raigan-etc]

As someone from the UK, i find America fascinating, the fact that you can have these almost lawless and ungoverned sections in states is such an alien thought to me.

Was this problem as bad as it is pre 2009 (Economic crash)?

That video looks like it could be on the outskirts of New Delhi

 

[janusff]

Looks like the movie Looper out there.

 

[Br3wnor]

Damn that's pretty crazy. I'm east coast so weather doesn't permit settlements like these from popping up, homeless are around but you never see where they're sleeping if they're not sleeping on the street. What's amazing in that video is the seemingly expensive apartments and stuff that are adjacent to the settlements, how does a realtor sell that.

 

[PanickyFool]

Other states ship them to the West Coast because they won't freeze to death overnight.

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Not true. I am pulling a statistic from memory here, but ~85% of the homeless population are in the same neighborhood they last had stable housing in. The majority of homelessness is caused by housing costs.

West coast simply has racist and regressive housing policies.

 

[Zampano]

As someone living in Manchester which is pretty commonly held up as the one of worst places in the UK for homelessness, holy shit at that video. He's riding for 10 minutes straight through a homeless shanty city. It's like some sci-fi dystopia.

 

[Deleted member 14002]

Other states ship them to the West Coast because they won't freeze to death overnight.

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This. It's definitely easier because you aren't battling the elements.

Also fun fact:
Chris Pratt used to be homeless. He lived in a tent on the beach.

 

[entremet]

Not true. I am pulling a statistic from memory here, but ~85% of the homeless population are in the same neighborhood they last had stable housing in. The majority of homelessness is caused by housing costs.

West coast simply has racist and regressive housing policies.

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I do remember Nevada and Utah doing this, but I don't think it's that widespread.

It's a huge problem, but a lot of it has to with crazy housing costs like you said. The Eastern Corridor isn't inexpensive, but you have the South Eastern Coast, which is. West Virginia is dirt cheap for example and it interestingly enough has the most integrated neighborhoods in the country due to this.

 

[javiergame4]

I live in SoCal and there's tons of homeless here.. Idk why the government really doesn't do anything.

 

[Dreamwriter]

Portland here, this has to stop.
It's so terrible, the city doesn't do anything.
My girlfriend has been harassed, catcalled and followed on her way home multiple times downtown.
There's been multiple shootings and stabbings on my school campus.
The streets for blocks and blocks smell like piss, im so sick and tired of it.
Almost none of them seem to be from around here, huge drug addiction problems with open usage in plain daylight.

This should be a national emergency.

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Wow, what is it about Portland that makes their homeless people so horrible, when the Seattle homeless people aren't a problem at all?

 

[PanickyFool]

I live in SoCal and there's tons of homeless here.. Idk why the government really doesn't do anything.

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The state is trying http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB827

Problem is people who own houses so not want their wealth to decrease.

 

[Deleted member 3345]

This. It's definitely easier because you aren't battling the elements.

Also fun fact:
Chris Pratt used to be homeless. He lived in a tent on the beach.

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eh:

The actor spoke with EW about his post-high school days sleeping in that van in Hawaii. "I had a friend who was like, 'Dude, you've got to come out here,"' Pratt says. "We set up camp on the beach and lived the dream." During that time, Pratt worked at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and waited on director Rae Dawn Chong, who gave Pratt a part in Cursed Part 3 — also known as Pratt's ticket out of Maui.

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http://ew.com/article/2014/08/17/chris-pratt-van-photo/

 

[Zulith]

With the problem worsening by the year, I'm surprised we haven't seen substantial legislation make it to the ballot box where voters can put their money where their mouth is and vote on something to put a real dent in the homeless problems many of our states are facing. We can band together and get legal weed, but not this? The perfect thing to spend all that new tax money on is ending the homeless crisis.

 

[NewDonkStrong]

It's incredibly expensive to live in California, it's just natural. I spent nearly two years living in a hatchback with my parents after the longtime famly house was foreclosed a few years ago. You'd see little communities form at fast food parking lots since their restrooms would usually be available all night.

 

[PanickyFool]

Wow, what is it about Portland that makes their homeless people so horrible, when the Seattle homeless people aren't a problem at all?

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Your are only seeing a small percentage of the homeless population. The chronically homeless population is more likely to be caused by mental illness. So the "bad hombres" is likely do to poor state intervention for mental disease.

 

[Deleted member 14649]

Yet the government wants to spend 25 billion on a wall?

 

[PanickyFool]

Yet the government wants to spend 25 billion on a wall?

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Your are confusing state issues and federal issues. Besides, even if the federal government did show up in these cities, intent on building $25 billion is housing, every single local municipality would sue them trying to stop the additional housing from being built.

 

[Zedelima]

Well, its a problem at least where i leave. People often beat some guys that live in the streets because they start to harass women, steal things from restaurants and supermarkets and such.
Last week a group broke a leg from 5 guys that live in the street, and funny thing is, the police don't care, because they say they can't touch homeless because of human rights, they can only touch if they see they doing something wrong, but they say that people should do it( the beating).
Its a shitshow

 

[Crimson-Death]

As someone from the UK, i find America fascinating, the fact that you can have these almost lawless and ungoverned sections in states is such an alien thought to me.

Was this problem as bad as it is pre 2009 (Economic crash)?

That video looks like it could be on the outskirts of New Delhi

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I worked for a long time in a business in an area with lots of other kinds of businesses, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, by a freeway/highway area. For some reason lots of fucking motels too, and bars. High drug trafficking area. Underneath the freeway overpass, a community of homeless people set up shop, and the police would occasionally kick them out and throw away their belongings. But I believe that was the city making way for construction. Now, I believe the community is still there somehow living in tents, makeshift showers and electricity.
It definitely got much worse over time, ten years prior the crash it was never like that. Then after the crash, it was so scary how empty businesses were, no foot traffic. Then as things got better, such an influx of homelessness, and for some reason a lot young, young people among them, alone. It is heartbreaking knowing a lot of them are mentally ill, or with no family, and no one to help.

 

[gozu]

Portland here, this has to stop.
It's so terrible, the city doesn't do anything.
My girlfriend has been harassed, catcalled and followed on her way home multiple times downtown.
There's been multiple shootings and stabbings on my school campus.
The streets for blocks and blocks smell like piss, im so sick and tired of it.
Almost none of them seem to be from around here, huge drug addiction problems with open usage in plain daylight.

This should be a national emergency.

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It IS two national emergencies called "Record economic inequality" and "no access to (mental) healthcare" and it will be made worse by the new Tax cut for corporations and the wealthy that also slashes Obamacare for the poor.

The solution is not to jail those unlucky people, the solution is to make sure they can get jobs and treatment that allow them to live with dignity, as opposed to jobs that allow them to barely survive while wrecking their health and getting addicted to drugs for pain management.

 

[CountAntonio]

It's problematic. The riverbed and underpasses in my city have become encampments. They break into a lot of houses and there have been a few murders this year amongst them. It's surreal to see how problematic it's become but not surprising given how pathetic mental health care is in theis country.

 

[entremet]

Your are confusing state issues and federal issues. Besides, even if the federal government did show up in these cities, intent on building $25 billion is housing, every single local municipality would sue them trying to stop the additional housing from being built.

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I think federalism is one of the biggest things non-American ignore. It makes stuff like housing, education and healthcare incredibly complex to solve. Plus regional differences are huge.

 

[Brinbe]

It IS two national emergencies called "Record economic inequality" and "no access to (mental) healthcare" and it will be made worse by the new Tax cut for corporations and the wealthy that also slashes Obamacare for the poor.

The solution is not to jail those unlucky people, the solution is to make sure they can get jobs and treatment that allow them to live with dignity, as opposed to jobs that allow them to barely survive while wrecking their health and getting addicted to drugs for pain management.

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Yep... couldn't have said it it better. Unfortunately, instead of empathy, people would rather just turn their noses up at the situation and ship the homeless out to the desert to die.

 

[IggyChooChoo]

Also fun fact:
Chris Pratt used to be homeless. He lived in a tent on the beach.

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Zach Galifianakis lived in his car for a while when he moved out to California, too.

 

[SlickShoesRUCRazy]

Ya, that shit is nuts. I drive by we're this dude is riding everyday on my way to work. Use to be up against the freeway also, but the homeless folks got moved. I remember seeing city workers in hazmat suits cleaning up.

There has to be a solution to this.

 

[D23]

Homeless situation in seattle is really really bad too.

 

[Dr. Feel Good]

Wow, what is it about Portland that makes their homeless people so horrible, when the Seattle homeless people aren't a problem at all?

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Doesn't the saying go "once you decide to grow up you move from Portland to Seattle"?

As someone who used to live in Portland the city is filled with unambitious people who choose to be homeless and travel in packs smoking weed and doing drugs. California and Seattle on the other hand have massive mental health populations who are just stuck wandering the streets with nothing to fall back on.

I live in Los Angeles now and I work about four blocks from where I live. I had to walk past 18 people one time who were all homeless. It's insane.

 

[GLHFGodbless]

I don't understand how the fuckin shanty town on that back fence is allowed to exist? If I lived in those apartments or whatever I would be livid, especially if I had kids. You would think the police would of shut that down long before it got started. To be that guy, if those were all black homeless that place would of been blow torched the second the first tent went up.

 

[CountAntonio]

I don't understand how the fuckin shanty town on that back fence is allowed to exist? If I lived in those apartments or whatever I would be livid, especially if I had kids. You would think the police would of shut that down long before it got started. To be that guy, if those were all black homeless that place would of been blow torched the second the first tent went up.

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They clean them up every few weeks/months and they set up again after awhile.

 

[TyrantII]

Damn that's pretty crazy. I'm east coast so weather doesn't permit settlements like these from popping up, homeless are around but you never see where they're sleeping if they're not sleeping on the street. What's amazing in that video is the seemingly expensive apartments and stuff that are adjacent to the settlements, how does a realtor sell that.

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They put up a fence. You can see it in the video.

Trumpvilles are only going to get worse.

 

[Whitemex]

I worked with a guy that became a drifter. Hitchhiked his way from Chicago all over the US squatting in abandoned houses and living under bridges.

 

[Foffy]

Portland here, this has to stop.
It's so terrible, the city doesn't do anything.
My girlfriend has been harassed, catcalled and followed on her way home multiple times downtown.
There's been multiple shootings and stabbings on my school campus.
The streets for blocks and blocks smell like piss, im so sick and tired of it.
Almost none of them seem to be from around here, huge drug addiction problems with open usage in plain daylight.

This should be a national emergency.

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It is considered an emergency, but only in the eyes of the United Nations. The problem in California and the Black Belt in Alabama have been argued as straight up human rights abuses.

In America, it's only seen as a problem when we as citizens see the homeless, hence why we keep trying to house them in camps away from public eyes. Out of sight, out of mind has been our goal, so no wonder it's getting worse.

 

[Deleted member 17092]

But the economy is doing great!

 

[ezrarh]

The only way we're going to solve homelessness in this country is "allow" for shantytowns like they do in Brazil. By a highway underpass. Next to the sewage treatment plant. At a Kmart parking lot. At the public golf course that serves 10 people. Middle class people with property aren't ready to change the home construction process, property laws, etc.

 

[BeforeU]

wow this is crazy, is this near silicon valley?

 

[Deleted member 14649]

I think federalism is one of the biggest things non-American ignore. It makes stuff like housing, education and healthcare incredibly complex to solve. Plus regional differences are huge.

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Excusing the problem by blaming bureaucracy doesn't really detract from the wealth inequality in your country. How many homes sit empty in these states?

 

[entremet]

Excusing the problem by blaming bureaucracy doesn't really detract from the wealth inequality in your country. How many homes sit empty in these states?

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It's not an excuse. It's an explanation on why funds aren't as easily distributed to tackle the issue and how many barriers exists. It's still an absolute poicy failure and black eye for a huge economy like the US.

There are not many empty homes in metro areas actually. There are not enough homes. That's the issue.

 

[Ogodei]

Damn that's pretty crazy. I'm east coast so weather doesn't permit settlements like these from popping up, homeless are around but you never see where they're sleeping if they're not sleeping on the street. What's amazing in that video is the seemingly expensive apartments and stuff that are adjacent to the settlements, how does a realtor sell that.

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Because the homeless-adjacent apartments are only 50% more expensive than the national average instead of non-homeless-adjacent which are 200% more expensive than the national average, i'm sure.

In our more overheated real estate markets, you could probably sell a condo next to a rendering plant and still have multiple applicants per space.

 

[Foffy]

Excusing the problem by blaming bureaucracy doesn't really detract from the wealth inequality in your country. How many homes sit empty in these states?

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If we simply tallied the amount of vacant homes and simply said "we'll house the homeless in them," the homeless population typically has a choice between picking between two to three vacant homes.

B-but there's no place to put them, the disimagination machine tells us!

 

[Deleted member 14649]

It's not an excuse. It's an explanation on why funds aren't as easily distributed to tackle the issue and how many barriers exists. It's still an absolute poicy failure and black eye for a huge economy like the US.

There are not many empty homes in metro areas actually. There are not enough homes. That's the issue.

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Though you have a country with some of the biggest land masses in the world - you would think it would be possible to build accommodation somewhere. There is also the question of addressing mental health issues of those sleeping rough. I'm guessing the percentage of those with problems is quite high.

 

[Foffy]

Though you have a country with some of the biggest land masses in the world - you would think it would be possible to build accommodation somewhere. There is also the question of addressing mental health issues of those sleeping rough. I'm guessing the percentage of those with problems is quite high.

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We love using dualism to justify that stuff, though.

You will consistently hear about the poor and downtrodden are there because of lack of will. I actually had someone tell me straight to my face yesterday that those who are homeless or in poverty are there because they have no purpose from God in their lives.

We are crazy, crazy quick to normalize the filth around us. We are well adjusted to a profoundly sick society, to paraphrase Jiddu Krishnamurti.

 

[entremet]

Though you have a country with some of the biggest land masses in the world - you would think it would be possible to build accommodation somewhere. There is also the question of addressing mental health issues of those sleeping rough. I'm guessing the percentage of those with problems is quite high.

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Land mass means nothing without investment in infrastructure to create settlements.

Even then, how would homeless people get to these locations? This is why homelessness is concentrated in metro areas. It's actually better for them since they can benefit from social services and charities, more concentrated in cities.

If cities where serious about this, they would build more housing overall, but as panicky fool mentioned, people don't want the formerly homeless living next them. It's more of local problem than a national one.

 

[Prophaniti]

Keep passing the buck. Ship them all to Hawaii. In a couple years we can push them even further west and let them settle on that island made of floating plastic bottles. Brings it all full circle.

 

[Sectorseven]

Out of curiosity, what is the demographic breakdown of these shanty towns?

Does it skew younger, are there families living there or is it mostly single, is it a mix of races or does it lean towards minorities?

 

[Deleted member 17092]

I think a huge market crash is about to happen. It's paint covering rust. The savings rate is atrocious, unemployment numbers aren't real, and only the wealthy can afford to buy houses. It's about to crumble. It's compounding too, if there are massive layoffs and the general population doesn't have any savings, disaster.