Newsom to counties: Clear homeless encampments or lose funding

[Johnny2X2X]

22. Shelters are underfunded

In my town, they're mostly private charities who do the best they can, but don't have enough money for adequate security or amenities.

We blew up the social safety net, people used to be able to house themselves if they were down on their luck with support from the government. Those people were more likely to get back on their feet. Once you become for real homeless, it's just incredibly hard to get a job. It's incredibly hard to get back into a home. So people form small communities in a wooded area, or make an encampment by a river etc. They feel safer there than they do in a shelter.

And another thing people don't realize about a lot of shelters is that they aren't permanent, it's first come first serve every single night. So you're not leaving your clothes there during the day. They might have lockers, but those are also first come first serve. They fill up, or they have early curfews so you aren't allowed back in after 9 pm. Homeless people still have lives, they sometimes need to go see friends or relatives. They have appointments still. It can be easier for them to make appointments from an encampment. It can be eaiser for them to keep their stuff at encampments too. Not all, or even most, homeless people are dangerous. Quite often they're in groups that take care of each other.

There's no easy fix, but clearing of homeless encampments is awful and usually very traumatic for the people who've tried to make a home in them. In my city, there are 4 or 5 main encampments. A few of them get left alone and the police usually bring by supplies regularly. There's one downtown that constantly gets torn down, it's the one with the most drug activity.