San Francisco's Paradox: Homeless and Billionaires Are Neighbors

Photo byNick FewingsonUnsplash

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” ― Anne Frank

Walking past homeless people became normality. You walk past them every day. You see them when you go to work, school, grocery store, park, and even when you go to the mountain or beach.

Homeless people are now part of the city. People don't even pay attention to them anymore.

It became normal to see them all around the town and pass by them carelessly, without even noticing them.

When and why have people stopped caring?

Photo byMatt CollameronUnsplash

San Francisco- is the 6th based on the Largest Number of Homeless in the U.S.

There were 580,466 homeless people in America in January 2020.

Based on the 2020 report, over half a million Americans are currently homeless. 51% of all unsheltered homeless people in the U.S. are in California.

There are 161,548 homeless persons in California.

Based on the number of homeless people, San Francisco is the 6th city in the U.S. and the 2nd in California. 8,124 persons are living on the streets.

Since 2016, the number of homeless people in the U.S. kept rising. From 2016 to 2020, the number of homeless people increased by 60%. Approximately 39% of homeless people are unsheltered. In the past 6 years, the number kept rising and still does. Unfortunately, 18% of homeless people are children.

San Francisco- The Home of Millionaires and Billionaires

San Francisco has 41 billionaires. Together, the total net worth is $173.8 billion. San Francisco is ranked number 8 in the top billionaire cities in the world.

In 2019, the San Francisco median household income was $123,859, the median property value was $1.22M, and the poverty rate was 10.3%.

The median household is more than the median annual income of $65,712 across the U.S.

Moreover, in 2019, the median property value was $1.22M, which is 5.06 times larger than the national average of $240,500.

Should people wait for rich people to solve the situation?

San Francisco is one of the wealthiest cities in the U.S.

The discrepancy between the rich people who live a luxurious life and the homeless people living down the street, struggling to buy water and some bread is huge and shocking.

Everybody expects and wants millionaires and billionaires to get involved and donate some of their money to fix the homeless situation. But, in the end, they are not obligated to do it. This is not the solution.

On October 06, 2021, Mayor London Breed announced that the ”Homelessness Recovery Plan” was moving forward with new permanent supportive housing acquisitions.

What can you do to help is to donate food, clothes, and even money to a nonprofit organization, shelters, or even directly to the people in need. Any small donation means a lot for a homeless person. They need people's help.

We have come dangerously close to accepting the homeless situation as a problem that we just can't solve. - Linda Lingle