More homeless people in Calif. living in vehicles
Exorbitant housing expenses blamed for rise in homelessness
SAN FRANCISCO — Most homeless people in San Francisco sleep in parks and on sidewalks, but a growing number are living out of their vehicles, helping fuel an overall 17% increase in homelessness in the last two years, according to a report released Friday.
San Francisco tallied about 8,000 homeless people in its onenight count in January, when counties across the country conducted similar counts as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Other counties in California also saw double-digit increases, reflecting the state’s severe housing crunch. In May, Alameda County, which includes Oakland, reported a 43% increase over two years, while last month Los Angeles County reported a year-to-year 12% jump to nearly 59,000 homeless people, with more young adults, older people and families on the streets
The San Francisco report, released by the city’s Department of Homelessness & Supportive Housing, paints a picture of a city in crisis despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent every year to address the problem. Nearly 1,200 people were on the waiting list for shelter beds the week of the January count.
Officials say they can’t keep pace with the number of people who become homeless in a city where the median sales price of a house hovers at $1.4 million and median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is around $3,700. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they had been living in a place they or their partner rented or owned, or with family or friends immediately before they became homeless.
Homelessness continues to be associated with deep poverty, mental illness and addiction. But people with bigger incomes, including those who own cars, are also struggling, said Jeff Kositsky, the San Francisco agency’s director.
“I’m seeing people with decent RVs but with no place to live, and many of them have jobs,” he said. “It’s very concerning and it all indicates what everybody already knows in California: that we have a severe affordable housing shortage.”
San Francisco identified nearly 600 passenger vehicles, RVs or vans that appeared to be inhabited, according to the report.
RV living has more commonly been associated with Silicon Valley suburbs that are home to Apple, Facebook and Google, which have struggled with the dozens of RVs that line its streets. But San Francisco plans to open a “safe site” for vehicles by the end of the year. The city of Oakland opened a space for people living in their vehicles last month.