The number of people sleeping outdoors in San Francisco dropped to under 3,000 in January, the lowest the city has recorded in a decade, according to a federal count.

The number of people sleeping outdoors dropped to under 3,000 in January, the lowest the city has recorded in a decade, according to a federal count.

And that figure has likely dropped even lower since Mayor London Breed — a Democrat in a difficult reelection fight this November — started ramping up enforcement of anti-camping laws in August following a U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Homelessness in no way has gone away, and in fact grew 7%, to 8,300 in January, according to the same federal count.

But the problem is now notably out of the public eye, raising the question of where people have gone and whether the change marks a turning point in a crisis long associated with San Francisco.

  • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
    42·
    1 day ago

    Tracking homeless people is extremely difficult and where all the people once living on San Francisco’s streets have gone is impossible to know.

    We all know where they went. Oakland and Richmond.

      • InverseParallax@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        15 hours ago

        Sacramento?

        That sounds like the best possible solution, send them to the state capital so the state actually has to deal with them.

      • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
        4·
        19 hours ago

        Honestly makes sense. As messed up as it sounds, it 100% must be cheaper for the city to offer a bus ticket out of town than to actually address why people are homeless. Capitalism is an asshole.