You have a better plan than the current administration! Some thoughts:
1. There should be a residency requirement to receive funds. Only people who can prove that they lost their home in SF should get financial assistance. Also, we have to earn our money that helps fund these programs. So if they are able to work they should. If addiction prevents them then they need to enter a treatment program as you suggested.
2. I have spoken to many police officers and a captain, and Prop 47 has been one of their biggest challenge for all the obvious reasons. But it also decreases moral amongst officers.
3. We need to increase the police budget to allow for dealers to get arrested in the first place. The HSB budget for about 1% of the population is about double of the police budget for the entire city. They are short staffed and underpaid, and recruitment is hampered by salaries lower than outside SF. Who would pick a more dangerous job in the city for less money?
4. The housing first policy has not worked on so many levels. The Coordinated Entry assessments have left qualified applicants for housing out in the cold despite vacant units. Shelters and permanent housing have had major issues with untreated addicts and mentally ill.
5. I agree that housing should be earned. Again, a residency requirement, work programs and rehab. The rest of us have to work to pay for rent or mortgage. By spending about $100K per homeless person for HSH alone one would believe that SROs can get brought up to appropriate standards (while also checking if the payments to owners are appropriate) and subsidize permanent housing. We do not to address mental illness on a larger scale as well. Simply providing shelter is utterly insufficient.
6. I agree, we need proper rehab facilities. I don't feel that places for people to sober up and go back out to do more drugs is the solution.
Additionally we need a thorough review of how the by some estimates $ 3 billion are being spent overall. There are ca. 75 non-profits and about 12 task forces, yet the problem and budget keep growing. HSH went from $ 80 million at it is inception to $ 1.2 Billion in 6 years. I am not an economist, but I smell a rat.
You have a better plan than the current administration! Some thoughts:
1. There should be a residency requirement to receive funds. Only people who can prove that they lost their home in SF should get financial assistance. Also, we have to earn our money that helps fund these programs. So if they are able to work they should. If addiction prevents them then they need to enter a treatment program as you suggested.
2. I have spoken to many police officers and a captain, and Prop 47 has been one of their biggest challenge for all the obvious reasons. But it also decreases moral amongst officers.
3. We need to increase the police budget to allow for dealers to get arrested in the first place. The HSB budget for about 1% of the population is about double of the police budget for the entire city. They are short staffed and underpaid, and recruitment is hampered by salaries lower than outside SF. Who would pick a more dangerous job in the city for less money?
4. The housing first policy has not worked on so many levels. The Coordinated Entry assessments have left qualified applicants for housing out in the cold despite vacant units. Shelters and permanent housing have had major issues with untreated addicts and mentally ill.
5. I agree that housing should be earned. Again, a residency requirement, work programs and rehab. The rest of us have to work to pay for rent or mortgage. By spending about $100K per homeless person for HSH alone one would believe that SROs can get brought up to appropriate standards (while also checking if the payments to owners are appropriate) and subsidize permanent housing. We do not to address mental illness on a larger scale as well. Simply providing shelter is utterly insufficient.
6. I agree, we need proper rehab facilities. I don't feel that places for people to sober up and go back out to do more drugs is the solution.
Additionally we need a thorough review of how the by some estimates $ 3 billion are being spent overall. There are ca. 75 non-profits and about 12 task forces, yet the problem and budget keep growing. HSH went from $ 80 million at it is inception to $ 1.2 Billion in 6 years. I am not an economist, but I smell a rat.
Thank you for your thoughtful ideas.
Claudia