Ask HN: Why don't homeless people from SF move to another city? I'm not from US and I am not very aware of what's going on in San Francisco. But I've been wondering why homeless people from SF don't move to another city where with a regular job they can afford a normal life. At least this is what I would consider in their situation. Sorry if the question is stupid. |
* people can be mentally ill in some way or another.
* physical disabilities.
* just acceptance that this is their fate, why change it.
* they just can't see any plan that leads them out of the situation so why try
* they wouldn't be sure how to function in society if they re-enter as a member of the "working class".
As a country, I don't feel we do anywhere enough for not just the homeless, but those that are simply down on their luck. Some people just need guidance and advice.
Example: I am a foster parent of 2.
The birth parents don't know how to cook, pay bills, take care of babies, etc. But do classes exist that make them practice and practice and practice. No. I've tried to get cooking classes like this offered saying I'll pay for all the food and donate my time but nobody takes me up on it. If we can teach who are inexperienced at cooking and house keeping and personal hygiene they may stand a chance of improving their lives by believing in themselves. What a bootstrap.
Maybe my perception is wrong and education doesn't help either. I feel like it would.
My oldest son graduated in 2015 and had to take Home Ec only.
My daughter will graduate in 2021 but only had to take Home Ec.
My youngest son also graduates in 2021 and hasn't had to take any.
How is this possible? Especially in the era of Google. Are we talking about people who are completely uneducated or simply mentally challenged?
Some high schools offer "life skills" classes those children that may need these skills due to disabilities. They cook, learn to manage money, make a budget, learn how to clean, how to interact, etc. I wish they were required.
2. The laws are friendlier towards homeless people.
3. San Francisco is liberal, so the people will be friendlier on average to the homeless.
4. America's public transport systems are terrible, but you can go quite a distance on BART and the city buses and it's easy enough to ride for free.
5. If you're stuck begging in order to live, better to beg from rich people.
If you're homeless in America, it doesn't get much better than this.
Downtown SF is an open drug bazaar, probably the biggest in the USA if not the world. Police do not go after the sellers and the city has for years maintained and enabled this nonsensical anything-goes policy.
You’re right it’s not as well publicized as it should be.
Here's an article about Las Vegas's "Greyhound Therapy": https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Homeless-patients-bus...
The problem is that a lack of money is but a proximate, and not the ultimate, cause of the homelessness. For something like 85% of those on the streets of SF, the issue is mental or physical disabilities (I'm gonna be generous and classify a penchant for antisocial behavior as a 'mental disability') or substance problems that directly impact the ability to have a job and a dwelling or any sort of normal life.
If you are in that position, finding a warm-ish place with a well-developed support infrastructure for vagrancy as well as proximity to a wealthy population for panhandling from is a really good deal.
The first problem in the OP's question would be just having the funds to go to another city.
Once you arrive and are looking for a job, you will need a permanent address/place to stay and probably a bank account of some sort. In order to get those things you likely need proper identification and/or work history.
Some forms of identification might require additional documentation like social security card or birth certificate. If you don't have those you will need to make multiple trips to various offices to acquire them and they often have fees associated with them.
But don't forget that if you were born in another state and need a birth certificate you have to work with that state over the phone to acquire them.
Plus where will they send them when you may not have a mailing address.
Completing the entire list of items with no problems is time consuming, difficult, and if any of them fail the entire process grinds to a halt.
Would you want to move away from your friends and family when you have little else? Some food for thought.
1. People who have lived someplace a long time and love that place may not want to leave. They may want to try to resolve their problems where they are.
2. Once you are homeless, relocating can be extremely challenging. You may not have the money to pay for bus or train tickets, you may have no means to line up a job elsewhere first, etc.
3. Big cities are where the services are. If you are completely destitute, being in a big city can help you stay fed and clothed.
So it only makes sense to leave the big city if you have some unearned income that will go further if you live someplace cheaper. If you are unemployed and destitute with no prospects, the big is a better answer than a small town because you can at least get a free meal regularly.
1. Weather in most northern states will cause death
2. Transportation for poor doesn't exist in the US
3. If one can't find jobs in SF, forget about being able to find them in Tulsa. Reasons vary from number of employers, lack of transportation, lack of education, felony record, divorces/child support.
I think the easiest way for someone to imagine this would be to think os the US as a dense jungle. The bounty is plentiful but there are death traps everywhere. Only the death traps are man made.
You need to find the patch of this jungle where you are likely to survive. Which means living under a rock in region A is better than dying in a barren desert in region B.
The solution, of course, would be to not let people fall that low. Provide them with some minimal housing and food BEFORE they become drug addicts.
But hey, apparently that’s a waste of money and for communists.