As so often in the many years we've known each other, I'm dazzled by your writerly brilliance, Leah -- and above all by its remarkable blending of heart and mind. In the unending blizzard of commentary on homelessness in San Francisco, no one has pinpointed the core human and public issues as movingly as you do in this posting. The wrenching personal leaps between heartfelt empathy and edgy wariness, against the backdrop of ever-emptier pronouncements on the crisis by "civic leaders" engaged only in re-election strategies, and cops who have no idea what's expected of them on the frontline between home-owners and tent-dwellers. On this side of the Atlantic, the same bleak chemistry is at work in the migrant crisis -- the exhausted survivors of unimaginable journeys from Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa whose numbers alternately break our hearts and terrify us. The 21st century equivalent of the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" desribed by Emma Lazarus: your grandparents and mine...
For my money, Leah, you're the master of sweetly expressing the contradictions we endure, the internal conflicts we have to suppress to get on with our oxymoronic lives. I'm the better for reading your story.
Dear Leah, You've touched a deep chord: how to live as a compassionate and conscious being? Difficult because our mind/heart so often want to do, or know what to do, but in fact, have legitimate reasons/inhibitions for not doing. Developers can't afford to build low-rent buildings. HUD has scaled back dramatically in the past 2 decades. I just heard the stats for CALIF: wages have risen 2% and rent 21% in 20 years. We can enact moments of kindness with food or money or clothing. But as everyone knows, and all these comments iterate, individuals and even non-profits cannot solve this problem. And it only grows, especially here where rents are exorbitant and houses unaffordable. What we can do is pressure candidates to commit to 'real' solutions. I don't like the Nimby vs. Yimby binary, which reduces the complex balance of housing, open space, climate concerns, liveability, transportation options, et al. to a sound byte. But I do think that thoughtful housing solutions are the only real solution. Here's a link to HUD where they boast of a 20-year record of housing 120K persons (that's VERY few people relative to need, but it does reveal how lax federal govt has been for 2 decades): https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/hud_no_23_283
With San Francisco poised to take on more and more homeless from across the globe, whether from migration or attracted here by ‘incentives’ many die daily on the streets from drugs/alcohol poison or a disregard for their personal health and sanitation or worst succumb to death by their own hand. Yet, You have managed to make their plight and suffering all about you and manage to push “tolerance” out to the rest if us as the theme to your piece. Congratulations you are indeed a San Francisco liberal.
Leah, that was a great description of all the emotions that we feel when we encounter homeless people. Unfortunately, they are now in every major town and city. I can not help but empathize with them, because "there but for the grace of God .........." But, of course most people also feel NIMBY (not in my back yard). It is a tough problem.
Beautiful piece that reveals the mixed feelings so many of us have about the unhoused. As compassionate humans we want to help, we don’t want to make their lives more miserable…yet, yet.
Solutions are there. We, as a Nation, need to be smarter, kinder and put our vast wealth in the right places.
You've so wonderfully articulated our strange relationship with what's happening on the street--so amazingly and complexly felt, thank you dear Leah, for your thoughtfulness and humaneness!! xx Sandy
Eloquently written my friend. You represent the situation we all feel who are housed but live close to the “rough” sleepers. I too think of ways to help but I’m afraid this is one for the federal government to fix. It’s too big and it’s everyone’s responsibility.
If everyone had thought about this as deeply and as eloquently, and a lot earlier, maybe we would have small houses or communes or something we could ALL live with by now.
What an eloquently written and painfully personal piece, Leah. It reminds of the article you wrote years ago when a homeless man camped in the open alley between your house and the building just North of you. Times have changed and the encroachment is more visible and frequent, even semi-permanent. And clearly more
dangerous. A few months ago The NY Times did an article on Portugal's attempts to address the same issue disabling their entire country, which appears to be succeeding, but here we go comparing our cities to smaller countries with more homogeneous populations and, perhaps, a far less cumbersome government. Portugal's approach involves a strategic and systematic program based on lots of money to provide better and safer housing options, plenty of support services for addiction-bound people and the mentally ill, and long-term rehabilitation services. Perhaps we are simply not willing to do the same in an organized, effective manner, or more likely, our governments are reluctant to spend the money. It astonishes me that some of our citizens can pay tens of thousands of dollars to see the Super Bowl in person, or $40,000 a month for an apartment in my own home town, New York City. Trump didn't help by reducing taxes for the rich who can afford these luxuries, and I don't believe that middle class people should feel guilty for objecting to the nearness of the trouble that is created by the lack of an effective approach and the money needed to truly solve the problem. If our lawmakers spent more time addressing real issues instead of harassing and criticizing each other, perhaps they could work together to effect true changes, from town councils all the way up through our federal representatives.
If only. I swing eternally from guilt to hand-wringing remorse to frantic over-activism. When I figure out a solution to this issue I'll let you know. Meanwhile, thanks for illuminating it for us all.
Beautiful report, Leah. Thank you.
Wanted to comment, but others so very eloquent. I feel you.
As so often in the many years we've known each other, I'm dazzled by your writerly brilliance, Leah -- and above all by its remarkable blending of heart and mind. In the unending blizzard of commentary on homelessness in San Francisco, no one has pinpointed the core human and public issues as movingly as you do in this posting. The wrenching personal leaps between heartfelt empathy and edgy wariness, against the backdrop of ever-emptier pronouncements on the crisis by "civic leaders" engaged only in re-election strategies, and cops who have no idea what's expected of them on the frontline between home-owners and tent-dwellers. On this side of the Atlantic, the same bleak chemistry is at work in the migrant crisis -- the exhausted survivors of unimaginable journeys from Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa whose numbers alternately break our hearts and terrify us. The 21st century equivalent of the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" desribed by Emma Lazarus: your grandparents and mine...
For my money, Leah, you're the master of sweetly expressing the contradictions we endure, the internal conflicts we have to suppress to get on with our oxymoronic lives. I'm the better for reading your story.
Dear Leah, You've touched a deep chord: how to live as a compassionate and conscious being? Difficult because our mind/heart so often want to do, or know what to do, but in fact, have legitimate reasons/inhibitions for not doing. Developers can't afford to build low-rent buildings. HUD has scaled back dramatically in the past 2 decades. I just heard the stats for CALIF: wages have risen 2% and rent 21% in 20 years. We can enact moments of kindness with food or money or clothing. But as everyone knows, and all these comments iterate, individuals and even non-profits cannot solve this problem. And it only grows, especially here where rents are exorbitant and houses unaffordable. What we can do is pressure candidates to commit to 'real' solutions. I don't like the Nimby vs. Yimby binary, which reduces the complex balance of housing, open space, climate concerns, liveability, transportation options, et al. to a sound byte. But I do think that thoughtful housing solutions are the only real solution. Here's a link to HUD where they boast of a 20-year record of housing 120K persons (that's VERY few people relative to need, but it does reveal how lax federal govt has been for 2 decades): https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/hud_no_23_283
With San Francisco poised to take on more and more homeless from across the globe, whether from migration or attracted here by ‘incentives’ many die daily on the streets from drugs/alcohol poison or a disregard for their personal health and sanitation or worst succumb to death by their own hand. Yet, You have managed to make their plight and suffering all about you and manage to push “tolerance” out to the rest if us as the theme to your piece. Congratulations you are indeed a San Francisco liberal.
Leah, that was a great description of all the emotions that we feel when we encounter homeless people. Unfortunately, they are now in every major town and city. I can not help but empathize with them, because "there but for the grace of God .........." But, of course most people also feel NIMBY (not in my back yard). It is a tough problem.
Beautiful piece that reveals the mixed feelings so many of us have about the unhoused. As compassionate humans we want to help, we don’t want to make their lives more miserable…yet, yet.
Solutions are there. We, as a Nation, need to be smarter, kinder and put our vast wealth in the right places.
You've so wonderfully articulated our strange relationship with what's happening on the street--so amazingly and complexly felt, thank you dear Leah, for your thoughtfulness and humaneness!! xx Sandy
Eloquently written my friend. You represent the situation we all feel who are housed but live close to the “rough” sleepers. I too think of ways to help but I’m afraid this is one for the federal government to fix. It’s too big and it’s everyone’s responsibility.
If everyone had thought about this as deeply and as eloquently, and a lot earlier, maybe we would have small houses or communes or something we could ALL live with by now.
You had me wrapt , Leah.
As you will, keep those eyes and peds alive, well, feeling and reporting!
What an eloquently written and painfully personal piece, Leah. It reminds of the article you wrote years ago when a homeless man camped in the open alley between your house and the building just North of you. Times have changed and the encroachment is more visible and frequent, even semi-permanent. And clearly more
dangerous. A few months ago The NY Times did an article on Portugal's attempts to address the same issue disabling their entire country, which appears to be succeeding, but here we go comparing our cities to smaller countries with more homogeneous populations and, perhaps, a far less cumbersome government. Portugal's approach involves a strategic and systematic program based on lots of money to provide better and safer housing options, plenty of support services for addiction-bound people and the mentally ill, and long-term rehabilitation services. Perhaps we are simply not willing to do the same in an organized, effective manner, or more likely, our governments are reluctant to spend the money. It astonishes me that some of our citizens can pay tens of thousands of dollars to see the Super Bowl in person, or $40,000 a month for an apartment in my own home town, New York City. Trump didn't help by reducing taxes for the rich who can afford these luxuries, and I don't believe that middle class people should feel guilty for objecting to the nearness of the trouble that is created by the lack of an effective approach and the money needed to truly solve the problem. If our lawmakers spent more time addressing real issues instead of harassing and criticizing each other, perhaps they could work together to effect true changes, from town councils all the way up through our federal representatives.
If only. I swing eternally from guilt to hand-wringing remorse to frantic over-activism. When I figure out a solution to this issue I'll let you know. Meanwhile, thanks for illuminating it for us all.
No, that's not a tear...it's raining