SHAME OF THE CITY 'WE'RE TOGETHER' (SF xmas homeless violin story)

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12/1/03 | Kevin Fagan

[I_Love_My_Husband]

'WE'RE TOGETHER'

It has been four years since the Silvers have lived in a home. They are a strong family that must survive while living in an aging van.

San Francisco has the nation's worst problem with hard-core homelessness. Thousands of people are without shelter, and as many as 5,000 spend virtually all their time on the street. Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan and photographer Brant Ward spent four months among the homeless and those who deal with them. In this series, they explore how one of the nation's wealthiest and most cultured cities came to have so many people living on its streets.

[Pikamax]

well, raise SF city taxes to pay for housing/food.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

I know that school. It's rough. Homeless people get to go to any public school in the city, even the best ones. WHY they choose to go to a terrible school like that is beyond me.

I think the parents are making really bad choices here for the future of their kids.

[baltodog]

Worst case: Someone in my family would let my family move in with them.
Why don't her parents help them out?
My heart really goes out to the kids if this story is true.
I just don't understand why they can't borrow enough from her parents to move back.

[Paul Atreides]

Step right up, ladies and gentleman! After a 10-year hiatus, The Homeless announce their year-long comeback tour. Check local newspapers for an appearance near you!

[Paul Atreides]

89%: Number of homeless families headed by one female caregiver.

Wait a minute! I thought that women didn't need a man. I thought that single-motherhood was officially canonized.

[TheBigB]

Detailed research has shown that there were NO homeless people when Clinton was President. "We don't know how they're back, but they are," said Dan Rather, "There were simply no homeless anywhere in America from 1992 to 2000."

[HiTech RedNeck]

I understand this comment was not from Mr. Rather, but from Bernard Goldberg (criticizing Dan Rather and others at CBS) in his book Bias.

[TheMole]

I'm surprised it's only 89%. The other 11% aren't likely to be all two-parent families either - most likely about half of them are men taking care of kids when the mother has gone.

The investigative journalism here is indeed impressive. They actually found a 'homeless' white two-parent family that isn't doing booze or drugs. That must have taken some doing.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Why aren't the feminists across America screaming to high heaven about all these "dumped women"?

[w1andsodidwe]

I guess maybe the big Government welfare givaway doesn't work as well as the old fashion system where family and churches helped the destitute.

[Savage Beast]

"Most said they ended up homeless after being asked by family or friends to move out."

...uh...I wonder why.

[Drango]

San Francisco has the nation's worst problem with hard-core homelessness.

When SF stops enabling homelessness, they will stop much of the problem.

[The Iceman Cometh]

Let me get this straight. They have a cell phone to talk to their family but none of the family would even allow these folks to park the van at their home?

I can't imagine knowingly allow any of my family members to be homeless.

[CounterCounterCulture]

This can't be right. San Francisco is the most progressive, compassionate liberal big city around who care so much about the plight of the homeless. There can't possibly be a homeless problem. < /sarcasm >

All it takes is for each and every "progressive" with a home to take in just one stray, just one. Problem solved.

If each limousine liberal just parked their limo in the driveway, they could house an entire homeless family in their posh garages. C'mon, do it...for the chilllllllllldren.

[Kay Soze]

They should be thankful there not in Rotterdam or they'd be homless and citiless! see plans to ban poor immigrants from moving in Rotterdam

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Hey! Long time no see! You still living with us imprisoned Repubs in the Bay Area?

[vikingchick]

Why don't they go back to Vermont instead of trying to suck off the taxpayer teat in CA? (applying for Section 8, etc.) I'm sick of everybody showing up here expecting us to take care of them.

That said, I hope this family gets back on their feet.

[CounterCounterCulture]

Still part of the few, the proud, the 30%

[Jimmy Valentine]

Am I correct when I say that San Francisco, because of its misplaced compassion has the highest number of homeless deaths each year from disdease and exposure, even exceeding New York?

Regards,