Care Not Cash hits streets today S.F. to start offering homeless people shelter instead of money

SF Gate ^ | Monday, May 3, 2004 | Kevin Fagan, Chronicle Staff Writer

[Simmy2.5]

It's been thrown out in court and revived again, demonized by some and longed for by others. And now today, two years after San Francisco voters overwhelmingly passed the Care Not Cash initiative to slash welfare payments to the homeless in exchange for housing, the city's great experiment in transforming how it treats its most desperate citizens will finally take effect.

[Simmy2.5]

Whether or not you want SF to fall into the sea or not, you have to admit, this is a step in the right direction for the city of queers. Something Gay Newsom did right and should, even if it is minor, help San Francisco a bit.

[jocon307]

Yes, but they're not going to take them up on the offers. Maybe I'll be proved wrong, but I'll be surprised if this program is a success. Don't get me wrong, I support it, and I do think Newsome's got his heart in the right place. But you got some hard core homeless losers out there, stone cold needle junkies, and I don't think they want help, they just want some money to get high.

[Clock King]

Until an addict has had enough of "the life", they will not do anything to get clean. They have to work out their demons in their own time, and there is nothing that can be done to help them.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

He's a weird guy. He's conservative on all issues except gays.

The gay thing he's being very stubborn about, and I'm sure it's just for the gay vote.

[only1percent]

Newsom's not conservative on ANYTHING, except by comparison to your run of the mill leftwing San Francisco lunatic. The vast majority of Democratic municipal officials in this country are far more conservative.

Still, I must admit I like when the lunatics call Gavin "right wing" -- nice to hear that even they admit that common sense and conservatism are peas in a pod...