The last 18 months are so, I've seen a huge increase of homelessness where I live, Fountain Valley - a sleepy suburb of Orange County. Have you seen increase where you live?

Not a wino in sight around here

While we have had an increase locally we don't really see it. It is not a hugh increase and it is mostly located downtown.

I think many of the serious homeless here migrate south to the Miami-dade area. They give out more free shit down there then we do.

We've seen a few more of the street corner cons working people for money, most stay downtown for the benefits from the big city.

Not allowed here.

None in my area, but there are a lot in downtown Houston around the baseball park.

Perhaps they can form a team

At our local Sam's Club, there are at least 15 dilapidated RVs parked. I feel bad for the truly homeless that are really trying to get their lives in order.

Iowa city is sanctuary city , so they are pretty much all over the place

Yes, most definitely there has been an increase in the homeless population here...and it has had a negative impact locally.

Although it has always been present it wouldn't surprise me if the recent recession was a contributing factor. The expansion of various programs like Medicaid and food stamps likely contributes to it as well. However there was a noticeable spike in the local homeless population shortly after marijuana was legalized. I've read local articles that relayed the stories of those who moved here with no job, but either hoped to get a job in the marijuana industry or simply sign up for entitlement programs while partaking in the Mary Jane.

Examples of the homeless populations negative impact locally:

- Widespread panhandling at major intersections, and parking lots. It has gotten to the point where you recognize the same panhandlers working the same places with the same signs. In some cases they appear to be organized, and "work" an area in shifts.

- City-owned parking garages are frequently used by the homeless to do drugs, have sex, vomit, defecate/ urinate, and sleep/ pass-out...on a daily basis.

- Homeless tent cities cropping up in undeveloped wild areas along stream banks and under bridges and overpasses and near parks. A lot of trash and human waste accumulates in these tent cities, not to mention the eye-sore.

- Several of the Homeless tent cities have camp fires which have gotten out of control and burned acres and in a couple cases threatened homes or private property.

The city council passed some measures to reduce where the homeless could panhandle. However in trying to enforce these laws another city was sued by the ACLU and our city was threatened with an ACLU lawsuit if the laws were enforced. So the city council is walking the tight rope of trying to manage the homeless situation while not getting sued.

All in a city with a population of @ 500,000 +/-

Up until a year ago it was pretty bad here. Lots sleeping in the parks. Lots of con artists on street corners with signs and stuff. I pay no attention to them at all.

I think last year they passed an ordinance that made it unlawful to stand in the median strip at traffic lights looking for hand outs so that has reduced the visibility some. But a few of the parks - closer to the city center are pretty crowded

The big city nearest me has a few, but the majority of those are snowbird bums. Temperatures and humidity in the high 90s+, lots of mosquitos, and mainly a blue-collar citizenry make for an inhospitable place.

They seem to have migrated south or died off during the winter. Not many around here.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Perhaps they can form a team

Maybe if the Astros start losing.

The panhandlers are all over at many intersections. It's pathetic. The cops say do NOT give them a thing.

Yes.

Not only is the population increasing, they've become significantly more conspicuous, due to anti-pandhandling laws in Arkansas being struck down as unconstitutional (violation of free speech) in Federal court a couple years back.

Now every major intersection and busy sidewalk has folks begging (some homeless, many not).

Still nowhere near as bad as the big cities, but much worse than it was a few years back.

They all have somehow, travelled to WA state.

The city of Seattle are proposing a tax on big businesses - think Amazon - to 'fight' homelessness.

Nope, not to move them on, but to provide assistance. Even a safe place for heroin addicts to shoot up, under the watchful supervisory eye of volunteer medical staff. If your moral compass is wonky, there's a vacant City position available, full time, pays $30-$35 per hour.

And there is millions available, from the City of Seattle, for homeless service contracts.

Seattle homelessness response

They camp under the I-5 flyovers, on the street pavements, in makeshift camps ... the sights, the sounds, the smells, illegal dumping.


I am looking for the stats and the links - I recall one alleged camp in Tacoma numbering some 2000.

The sirens are sounding ...

I live in a rural area nothing anywhere around me that would lure the homeless. So, the answer is not around here

I have a friend who visits San Francisco several times a year on business. He says it's been very bad for a long time, but after his last trip there, he told me that "there is nowhere you can go to get away from the fuckery."
He says he was on the street in broad daylight when a group of homeless came "out of nowhere" and started yeling at him and threatening to kill him. He was simply walking down the street.

Get out of California, Dave. Get out of there.

Very little presence here. Move here!