San Francisco residents are offered a project to combat homelessness

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Campgrounds on the sidewalks have become a common sight for San Francisco, where the number of homeless people will be attempted to be fought with the help of a new law funded by urban billionaires.

On some streets you can see up to 30-40 standing in a row of tents.

In San Francisco, there is a huge gap between high-paying technicians and the poor, who have nowhere to live.

Opinions on how to deal with this problem are divided.

At a referendum in November, residents of the city will have to decide on a new bill called Proposition Q.

Within its framework, the authorities propose to ban tent camps: they will be demolished, and the property of the homeless will be destroyed. The police, in turn, will be obliged to make an 24-hour demolition warning for those living in tents, as well as provide shelter for all those left without shelter.

Supporters of Proposition Q, which is funded by billionaires from the tech industry, believe that with the new law, living in a tent will become too dangerous, and this will encourage people to make a choice in favor of accommodation and social housing.

Their opponents are confident that such an initiative of the authorities will lead to even more criminalization of the homeless.

What is the essence of the new law?

How will Proposition Q be applied?

In theory, under the city's Homeward Bound program, a police officer or other city worker would offer a person living in a tent a place to sleep or a paid bus ticket, either just out of town or to the home of a family member or friend.

If the homeless person refuses, he will be given a 24-hour warning - during this time he must remove the tent and leave the shelter.

If he does not do this, then the city authorities will remove the tent themselves, and all the property of the homeless person will be stored for up to 90 days.

Who supports Proposition Q and why?

Фото: Depositphotos

Proposition Q was developed and sponsored by Mark Farrell, an employee of the City of San Francisco. In an interview with the BBC, Farrell said the camps had become "a symbol of the city's homeless problem" and "one of the most dangerous places imaginable."

“From fires to rapes to tons of trash, these camps represent a major public safety failure for the city,” he said.

Farrell and other supporters of the new bill emphasize that not a single homeless person will be thrown out of his tent until he is guaranteed a place to sleep.

In addition, Farrell believes that leaving the tent camps alone and providing them with water and other help will only encourage new homeless people to come to San Francisco.

“If such a rumor spreads, we will be faced with a massive expansion of tents throughout the city,” says an employee of the mayor’s office.

Farrell "completely denies" opponents' accusations that the initiative would merely criminalize homelessness.

“This measure aims to move people away from dangerous street conditions and towards shelters and social housing,” he emphasizes.

Who opposes Proposition Q and why?

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Another point of view is held by John Avalos, another employee of the city hall and the official opponent of the new law.

He calls Proposition Q nothing more than a “political decision.”

“The police already have all the necessary powers to move people living in tents,” Avalos told the BBC. “This law was put to a referendum so that people would vote driven by their aggression towards the homeless.”

According to the official, to solve the problem with the homeless in San Francisco can only focus on their social rehabilitation.

“The proposed measure has nothing to do with increasing the number of housing or with the social rehabilitation program for the homeless. They are simply driven from street to street, from one area to another, in the hope of housing, which does not exist, says Avalos. “This is such cruelty with the best intentions, but we already know from past experience that cruelty still outweighs such decisions.”

Against the adoption of Proposition Q, the San Francisco charity for homeless assistance also advocates.

Jennifer Freidenbach, the organization's executive director, calls the new initiative "very misleading" and warns that it will only fuel public hatred of the homeless.

“Tents on the streets are already illegal. Why put this to a referendum? There is only one reason - to further humiliate the homeless and attract more conservative voters,” she said.

How serious is the situation with the homeless in San Francisco?

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Not as serious as it may seem.

The number of homeless people in San Francisco is lower than in other large American cities such as Los Angeles, Washington or Seattle.

But in San Francisco there are many more people who do not have any shelter over their heads - not even a tent. According to data for 2015, out of 100 thousand people in the urban population, 511 literally sleep in the open air.

This is 5 times more than in Washington, where the total number of all homeless people is 2 times.

In addition, according to the annual survey of the Department of Housing, the number of homeless people in San Francisco is slowly growing.

It turns out that the city does not have enough nights?

One of the key arguments of opponents of Proposition Q is that the city does not have enough shelters, which means homeless people will simply be driven from one street to another.

Mark Farrell sees the solution in the construction of a new homeless center that has already begun. In addition, there are shelters on 1500 in the city where 600 people can be accommodated, who, according to the authorities, currently live in tents.

His opponents object that, in fact, in the city, according to various sources, homeless people live from 6500 to 9500, who will have to queue for a long time in a rooming house.

“We have 800 people on our housing waiting list,” explains Jennifer Freidenbach. “But city officials plan to keep places in overnight shelters available for those who are kicked out of the tent camps. It turns out that elderly or disabled people who need a place to sleep will remain without a roof over their heads.”

Is the attitude of the San Francisco authorities towards the homeless harsher than in other cities?

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According to a study by the University of California at Berkeley in 2015, in an average California city there are 9 laws concerning homeless people. This is much more than in other US states.

But San Francisco has the most of them - 23.

One of them is called “sit-lie”: a law passed in 2010 prohibits sitting or lying on sidewalks during the daytime and provides for penalties of up to 6 months in prison.

Another law passed in the 2015 year is aimed at fighting begging. He forbids beggars to be in the perimeter of 6 meters around ATMs and re-ask for money from those who once refused to give alms.

This law also contains a provision stating that as many homeless people as possible should not be sent to prisons, but to drug rehabilitation programs and centers for people suffering from mental illness.

Who finances Proposition Q?

Фото: Depositphotos

According to Guardian newspaper report, rich technology investors have donated an impressive amount of money to the campaign to promote the bill.

For example, Michael Moritz, chairman of Sequoia Capital, venture capitalist Ron Kovei and hedge fund investor William Oberndorf donated $ 49,999 (3 million 100 thousand rubles) each, which all together made $ 270 thousand (16 million 260 thousand rubles).

Mark Farrell emphasizes that the campaign in support of Proposition Q also attracted a lot of donations from ordinary citizens. But the news of wealthy investors, who provided most of the funds for the bill, angered many.

“These people are spending more in one year than the homeless have to eat for 6 years... I think it's just terrible that billionaires are funding a campaign that aims to take away tents from people living on the streets,” says Jennifer Freidenbach.

Will Proposition Q be adopted?

Initiatives against the homeless have traditionally been popular with San Francisco voters. Therefore, supporters of Proposition Q believe that the new law has every chance of being passed.

If more than 8% of voters vote for passing the law in the referendum on November 50, then Proposition Q will take effect.

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