Insight: SF's lack of encampment restrictions holds homeless folks back from getting help

The Wall Street Journal digs into SF's homelessness imbroglio, in which taxpayers and businesses regularly dish out for new shelters, but only observe more dirty, dangerous, drug-ridden streets as a result. Why? Since public camping is no holds barred (as was SJ) and law enforcement can't rehouse people, homeless residents facing addictions have little drive to seek sobriety.

The city of San Francisco released data last week showing that 55% of homeless individuals rejected shelter when offered it. Days earlier a giant fire destroyed a housing complex under construction. The blaze is under investigation, but residents in the area say they repeatedly complained to the city about fires igniting around homeless encampments.

Mayor London Breed threw her hands up in response. “We can’t force people to accept or stay in shelters and we’re unable to prevent people from setting up an encampment in an area that was just cleaned. This is the situation we are in,” she tweeted Wednesday.

She’s right. San Francisco is under a federal injunction that bars officials from enforcing laws against camping or sleeping in public spaces as long as its homeless population exceeds available shelter beds. As we recently explained, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment creates a right to vagrancy.

Many homeless prefer to live on the streets where they can freely use drugs. “People are coming here for so many different reasons including the ease of access to getting these drugs,” Ms. Breed recently noted.

This article originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Read the whole thing here.

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