MJP –
The homeless population in San Francisco is reportedly being paid to leave the city, according to a story from Friday, Aug. 24. Democratic Mayor London Breed’s latest initiative to combat homelessness has allegedly polarized the populace.
When Breed introduced a new strategy to address homelessness in Bay City, several residents were critical of the move. If a homeless person has family or other connections in the area, the program will cover the expense of moving them to that area.
Transportation expenses (bus, airline, or train) and food stamps are all paid for by the “Journey Home” program. Some program participants moved to Humboldt County, and those officials there claimed that San Francisco neglected to follow up with those participants. Getting people out of the city, according to the county, won’t fix anything.
Manager Rex Bohn of Humboldt County expressed the opinion that the county should not be used as a disposal site. “Our cost for taking care of a homeless person that has nothing up here… it’s expensive.”
The charges, according to Breed’s office, are “overblown,” as San Francisco only dispatched five personnel to Humboldt County. Four individuals from Humboldt County were dispatched to San Francisco, according to her office.
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On the other hand, representatives from Humboldt County asserted that their program checks participants’ social networks, job prospects, and family members, and then follows up with them. Breed, however, said that San Francisco does contact program participants’ loved ones, but that no further action is necessary.
With the newfound authority that cities now have to remove homeless people from public spaces, Breed’s new campaign has also been instrumental in removing the city’s ever-expanding tent encampments.
The city offered people the option to reside in shelters, according to Breed, who spoke with CNN. Critics argue that this criminalizes a situation over which many people have no control.
But that isn’t necessarily the case, according to a CNN investigation.
Those who were forcibly removed from homeless encampments were informed that no shelters were available on the day the CNN team visited.
Those who work to end homelessness have also said that clearing homeless encampments does little to help. It was mentioned that a lot of important paperwork required to pay fines, apply for housing, and find a job gets misplaced.
Breed stated that she will evaluate the program’s efficacy in the next months as she begins her initiative to tackle the 8,300 homeless persons in San Francisco, a city that is experiencing a severe homelessness issue.
Ahead on Straight Arrow News: San Francisco mayor orders homeless people out of city, police down on encampments.
