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Comment by Zdup | Hacker News Reader

In San Francisco is equally bad. In the morning @7am you see so many people sleeping on sidewalks like sardines, it's pretty sad considering it's a rich city.

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Equally bad compared to what? As an SF resident I would argue SF has one of the worst homeless situations in the country - not necessarily in terms of overall numbers (LA/NY have more), but in terms of what I see as severe mental health issues and drug use among many (but not all) homeless people I see here.

I remember being impressed by how many apparently high-functioning homeless people I saw out near Venice in LA a few years ago. I managed to avoid Skid Row, I guess that's where you'd go to see SF-style homelessness but in a more... integrated? boxed-in? tolerated? style.

Not only that, but san Francisco exported half its homeless people according to a Guardian piece about Homeless bussing.

Can you imagine the city with double the homeless?

SF is the worst I've seen in the US (granted, I only lived in SF and Boston). Saying it's "equally bad" is almost funny. In Boston, LA, NYC, homeless problem is almost nowhere near SF.

You're probably not wrong, but there are a lot fewer places for the homeless "problem" to hide in SF than in, say, LA.

That's a fair point.

It is not only sad. It is mind-blowingly absurd and overwhelmingly inhuman.

Capitalism.

...has resulted in the lowest rate of poverty the world has ever seen.

Although certainly not a perfect system and could be improved, be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Please don't post unsubstantive comments here, regardless of capitalism.

For this to exist in a city of billionaires is obscene and inexcusable.

SF can't even provide affordable housing for the working class. People with full time jobs.

It's a city where you need to be making >$100k/yr to even get a 1 bd apt.

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