Do you EVER research any of the things you think you know? The following are excerpted from the HUD Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress for both 2019 and 2022 (the latest available)I did not suggest that. I highlighted SF as the poster-child for growing homelessness. I also have acknowledged that mental illness and drugs do have a significant impact. But, your article, which I’ve actually read before, said that mental illness and substance abuse (which overlaps) accounted for about a wuarter of homeless. That means 75% are due to other issues. Most of the homeless are transitional. It’s temporary. Those are due to economics. Low opportunities, and scarcity of housing pushes them to the streets until they get back on their feet.
Chronically homeless comprises mostly mentally ill and druggies. No question. But that number has not increased dramatically like the temporarily homeless. So in the context of this thread, you would be hard pressed to show that the dramatic increase in homeless population is due to increased dreug use because they’re legal now, or possession laws aren’t enforced in those areas. It’s mostly due to ****ty Democrat policies which put many people out of jobs and their homes.
Please recall that these increases occurred while unprecedented government interventions, such as eviction moratoriums, were in place
Chronic homelessness up 57760 ÷ 39275 = 1.4707 up 47.1%, annualized growth 13.7% per year
Total homelessness up 145983 ÷128777 = 1.1336 up 13.4%, annualized growth 4.3% per year
Chronic homelessness grew at more than three times the rate of overall homelessness