re: This is what downtown San Francisco looks like right now

quote:

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I guess you don't realize that 99% of homeless are homeless because of their dependency on drugs, do you? And almost 0% of homelessness has to do with someone losing their job due to economic downturn, right? Why don't you do some research since you are a San Fran resident,

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I’m well aware of the relationship between drugs and homelessness as I see it often (The link to mental health is also robust). But I specifically mentioned the increase in homelessness in recent years because it relates to an exogenous shock that led to thousands of people not being able to work in tourism, restaurants, and bars. To assume that a newly homeless person is only homeless because they are addicted to drug abuse seems flawed. Many people live paycheck to paycheck and when that paycheck stops they often don’t have financial reserves to cover those expenses.

I’ll definitely read up on what Mr. Shellenberger has to say on the topic but my commented was not related to homelessness more generally.