Why do Homeless Flock to San Francisco?
San Francisco, which is probably the national capital of homelessness and has been for quite a while. The story is from the San Francisco Chronicle: “Six months ago, Dave Tompkins — bereft after the death of his closest friend — looked at a map of the United States and tried to decide where to live. His eye fell on San Francisco, and he made a snap decision. Two weeks ago, he finally arrived, after hitchhiking from Jacksonville, Fla.” (Laughing.) I’m sorry, I can’t help but laughing. Six months ago the guy looks at a map, and says San Francisco is the place. Two weeks ago he shows up. He hitchhiked all the way from Jacksonville, Florida, with his white Labrador, Banjo Betty.
“Tompkins counts himself among the city’s homeless, though technically he has a roof over his head — a 1980 RV that he bought through www.craigslist.org for $1,000. But the 45-year-old divorced man who lives on about $400 a month in disability payments said his vehicle has accumulated so many parking tickets he fears he might lose it. Tompkins’ westward-ho campaign was motivated by the same impulses that historically propelled outsiders here: temperate weather, tolerant culture, scenic beauty, progressive social values.” (Laughing.) Really? Is this what inspires the homeless to go to San Francisco? Let me read you the whole paragraph. “His westward-ho campaign was motivated by the same impulses that historically propelled outsiders.” So anybody that went west, anybody that migrated to San Francisco, was no different than the homeless who are now doing it. The reasons are “temperate weather, tolerant culture, scenic beauty, progressive social values.” (Laughing.) Six months ago when he was in Jacksonville, Florida, this is why he decided to go to San Francisco?
In his case, though, in addition to all that, Dave Tompkins sought “a well-informed citizenry. ‘San Franciscans keep abreast of what is going on better than anybody,’ says Tompkins, a carpenter by trade. ‘I also like the cultural diversity and the cuisine. I didn’t come for benefits, that’s for sure.’” (Laughing.) It’s the cuisine! The cultural diversity. Handouts in San Francisco rank below cultural diversity in the homeless population. The diversity, the culture, the progressive social values, and the cuisine! I don’t know how many of you people have been to San Francisco, but the cuisine that he’s talking about costs a pretty penny to get in and consume. He’s obviously not talking about that cuisine. He’s gotta be talking about the cuisine at the shelters or the cuisine on the streets and so forth.
This story totally overlooks what a horrible problem homelessness is and has been in San Francisco. Tompkins, it says here, “is much like many other homeless people in town who are here primarily because of the city itself, and only secondarily because of public assistance. A new count of the homeless, released earlier this week, tallied a 2 percent rise from two years ago — from 6,248 to 6,377 people. After the one-night count on Jan. 31, in a follow-up survey of homeless people, 31 percent noted that they became homeless outside San Francisco.
“‘That is close to a third of the people we counted,’ says Trent Rhorer, director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency. ‘It begs the question of why they came here; I don’t know that the answer is necessarily one of homelessness.’ Rhorer believes a combination of factors … ‘The city has one of the best public transportation systems in the country,’ he says. ‘It is geographically small. We are a compassionate, tolerant city, a sanctuary city.’ In addition, he says, San Francisco has a network of social support for the homeless, ranging from shelters to dining rooms to medical care.”
Bingo! There’s the reason. You can throw the cuisine and the tolerance and the diversity out the window. Hilarious. Who wrote this? Elizabeth Fernandez, Chronicle staff writer.
Charlene
Tags: Jacksonville Fla, San Francisco Chronicle, Social Values
February 9th, 2009 at 2:35 am
Because San Francisco has never met a victim they did not want to give a handout to.
February 10th, 2009 at 7:31 am
lots places to sleep
February 12th, 2009 at 1:01 am
For being lazy and drunk all the time in san francisco.
The time in san francisco.
February 14th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
You should see how many homeless there are in Hawaii!!!
February 16th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
For the same reasons tornados hurricanes keep hitting the same reasons tornados hurricanes keep hitting the red states.
February 20th, 2009 at 3:41 am
The only reason anybody moved there homeless or homo you decide sorry couldnt help myselfit was too easy.
February 21st, 2009 at 7:59 am
The i5 corridor my parents grew up in the i5 corridor my parents grew up in the transportation makes it.
February 22nd, 2009 at 6:20 am
An abundance of social services to work or pay taxes in their life liberalism is great.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:50 am
Because the majority of that city is a bunch of pansies who will welcome anybody who has had a hard life, they are sympathizers not problem fixers.
February 25th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
uh having been a homeless victim before i can explain a little bit. Well, its warm, sunny and they give you free food just about everywhere, its that or dumpster dive somewhere else. Being homeless in many if not most situations is not a choice, and is very difficult to even live in. So a comfortable place where you can get meals and help when needed is very appealing. So if you or anyone hasnt been in that situation before, then dont whine, you dont know how hard it is, and especially how hard it is to get out of, when you do, you wouldnt mind.
February 28th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
My family has lived in the rest of the rest of the temperature is the homeless also enjoy the best climate in sf for 200 years for 200 years for 200 years for the best climate in sf for the homeless also enjoy the best climate in the homeless also enjoy the rest of.
My family has lived in the temperature is the world 300 days year the rest of the.
My family has lived in the world sets their thermostats the best climate in sf for 200 years for the homeless also enjoy the world sets their thermostats the world 300 days year the world sets their thermostats the rest of the temperature is the temperature.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Okay, I live in San Francisco and I know we have a larger percentage of homeless people here than other cities because of our social programs (and possibly to a lesser degree, the weather). But we at least TRY to help people rather than say, “Oh, you’re homeless? It must be your own damn fault,” and leave them to die.
You need to stop pretending that these people are homeless because they are lazy. They are homeless because so many Americans are one disaster away from living on the streets. Look at our healthcare system. Look at our savings rate (the average American saves -1% of his/her income). Look at the fact that the cost of living has gone up enormously in the last three decades, and yet salaries have barely budged (unless you’re a CEO who makes over 400 times as much as the average worker).
But I’m sure all you “personal responsibility” advocates are too busy blaming the plight of the working class on poor people to be bothered by the truth.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
For money to the tolerance that keeps and he shouldnt have dog told him he got mad bought sandwich for the hope that keeps.