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.

  • snooggums@lemmy.worldEnglish
    245·
    2 months ago

    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.

    The mayor isn’t helping the homeless. She is driving them away so they can be someone else’s problem.

    • kescusay@lemmy.world
      91·
      2 months ago

      She. And part of her platform as mayor is a massive increase in homeless shelter beds, specifically to get homeless people off the streets and into safer environments.

      So… She’s actively not “driving them away,” near as I can tell.

    • Blackout@fedia.io
      6·
      2 months ago

      Many were driven there in the first place from cities like Las Vegas. The truth is California has been investing in temporary shelters and tiny home communities. It’s more than I’ve seen in other states