Not just LA, Frisco, Fresno, Phoenix and more.

Great comment Brandy!

Thanks. I don't understand how something that happened 12 years ago is more important than current overlooked issues.

The problem is growing at an alarming rate too. Target stores started locking tents up to prevent theft in these cities!

Oh man, that's bad. I saw a news story on this last night and wondered why I was just now hearing about it. I hope the network keeps on this story.

I've been to the village in Phoenix AZ, a few weeks prior I had been a block away for a biz license, and had no idea it was there. It was like something out of the walking dead with people aimless wandering, sleeping on sidewalks and rummaging through garbage that you knew had been rummaged over and over.

Yikes! That sounding more like India now. And all of the needless bickering in Washington and on the news just keeps going on. :(

Honestly I thought I was in Syria when I drove through.

This is crazy scary

So many are only a missed paycheck or 2 from this situation.

Things obviously need to change, but lets help outside our home first...

Help outside our home? I'm not sure what you mean there.

We seem to cater to helping people outside our countries and not help our own people right here at home.

Got it, I agree. Too many think they did their part when the hand out a few dollars at the stoplight. We have our own refugees.

yet many American citizens as well as immigrants,( legal and illegal) are in serious poverty. I don't know why they are offended at the idea of trying to take care of the people we have here already before allowing some massive influx of people in need.

In Phoenix, every exit and major intersection would have 2-3 homeless people working the corners. Most convenience store parking lots had them too. There are also many seniors in that mix, people who worked hard, made a decent living and then through medical issues found themselves in that situation. Safe low rent housing doesn't exist in bigger cities. Much of that due to over regulation.

it really is a sad mess.

It's not like homelessness can't be blamed on the economy being wrecked by the cons- oh wait.

Economy is only part of it. Mental health is a huge part of it, as well as physical disability and yes, illegal immigration.

I know a very small fraction of foreigners entering the US are refugees, but you have to admit this is how some of them are treated.

I disagree with you there,, 4 years ago I moved into a luxery apt complex in Phoenix, 2 years later there were a LOT of refugees living there, many placed there by relocations organizations according to one family that lived on my floor.

Sometimes you get refugees being relocated smoothly, but other times I've seen it goes horribly. Refugee kids who have no family left being bullied because their african/Asian and stuff like that. I was mainly joking about how whoever the refugee is has no control over how well they're relocated.

P.S. thanks for saying you disagree with just screaming at me in all CAPS or something like that.

Nah, I can disagree like a gentleman. I take nothing personal that isn't directed as personal, and I even upvote those that disagree as long as it is done in earnest. I've looked closely at many refugee videos, I really don't think there is a place in the US worse than those. Not all are placed in luxury apartments either. Personally I wish we would just pull out of the middle east altogether and let them sort it out once and for all.

I feel like every time the middle east is left alone it works fine for a few years then some large scale terrorists attack or threat or something happens and the government is just like, "screw innocent civilians, time for war"

Its never been but so smooth, my dad was stationed there in the 50s, he had nothing good to say about it. My oldest stepson is in Afghanistan now. I just hope its for one tour.

In today's day and age, it seems politicians are more distant from most of the people they govern than ever before.

There certainly are a lot more born and bred politicians, and fewer statesmen.

Reminds me of the guy who was building little box homes for the homeless in LA. Just a tiny little cube, enough room to lay down in, and a wall outlet, a small boost to self-esteem, which might have helped get some of them off the streets over time.

But noooo, the city didn't want that, they were too tidy looking. The city politicians wanted them out on the streets in ragged little tents or nothing at all, so they could point to them and say "look at our terrible homeless problem, we need more federal funding!" They seized nearly all the box homes and had them destroyed. 3(

So many political weasels!

Having been among the number within the last year, I can tell you first hand it is a very large part. Anyone working with the homeless will tell you they are overwhelmed. My point is we are not taking care of the homeless already here, but yet so many are still fighting protecting our borders and stopping illegal immigration.

Not proud of it, but yes. Lived in my car about 6 weeks, plenty long enough to learn that without help from a friend or family member it would be next to impossible to get out of the situation. I was lucky, I had to move back across country to get help, and basically had to start over with what I could fit in one suitcase. I'm happy to say its improved but not great yet. There was a lot involved in what happened which I wont go into detail about, but so many are in the situation I was in, a paycheck or 2 away from it.

Why are you not proud of it? You are a survivor. You found a way to help yourself, so you were no longer in that situation. And I'm sure you learned a lot from the experience, that you can use to help others, as you are doing now by trying to bring attention to the issue.
I hope you don't mind but I just wanted to give you a little different perspective.

Thanks, I'm humbled, truly. As for the present, I'm working through it. Still some difficulties but one by one I'm knocking them out and got my daughter through her 1st year of college. Yes it does give me a different perspective which I try to share here but not so often that it damages the cause.

You are very welcome. Once again you are a survivor. Just looking at how you were able to survive your daughter's 1st year of college. And there are different ways to help the cause, because not a lot of people who run organizations to help the homeless are the best. For example my neighbor has been getting some press on her issue. If you are interested I'll leave a couple links.
http://www.smobserved.com/story/2018/03/11/opinion/homeless-count-justifies-misuse-of-public-funds-by-opcc/3355.html
http://www.smobserved.com/story/2018/02/13/opinion/screaming-woman-at-opcc-keeps-others-awake-at-night/3322.html?m=true
http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/11/24/opinion/ocean-park-community-center-opcc-accused-of-human-rights-violations/3202.html
Thank you again for your effort.

By your links I take it you are in Cali, a state that needs much help in this area. Much like my former state Arizona, the warmer climate naturally attracts the homeless from all over. Add in the proximity to the southern border of these states, and promises of a better life once you get into the US to our southern neighbors create a perfect storm.

Yes California needs lots of help.
Greed means more here to a lot of people, rather than helping others.
When 73% of your organization's funding goes to employees, like OPCC, what kind and quality of services are the homeless going to get?
Unfortunately the money seems to matter more than the homeless.

We may disagree here, but that's part of the logic behind my meme. Its hard to combat a problem that has exponential growth, especially when nothing is being done to lessen the problem, in fact growth of the problem seems to be encouraged.

No opinion is wrong. I agree with your position too.
Cities like mine have homeless commissions, where their messages contradict, and housing the homeless was not really an issue. All for show, and the problem gets worse.

I look at some of these empty "big box stores", and think how many homeless they could provide shelter to, and help to rebuild their life, if government would get out of the way.

I can appreciate your vision.
But you have to remember the homeless have to want to help themselves too. The government just thinks throwing more money at it, will make a difference, but with the only real plan being making the public less afraid of the homeless. Which doesn't house the homeless, but is an image so visitors continue to come here and spend their money. It's really quite disgusting.

Absolutely they have to want out. no manner of program will get those that don't to help themselves. It's the ones that want to regain self-sufficiency, that don't have a pathway back or if they day its a series of waiting lists and government hurdles.

The waiting lists and government hurdles shows that there is already at a point which is not easy to manage. As well as making it harder for people with stress related disabilities such as PTSD to follow through and get the assistance. I've heard veterans avoid the Affordable Housing program here because of the stress associated with it. Which is really sad because they deserve help and respect for their service.

Housing assistance is a waiting list as much as a year to 18 months, in some states they will not even put people on the list. So in short you have to make plans and schedule when you will be homele0ss. There are no emergency programs to keep someone in a home during temporary crisis either.

I hate to have to do this but I have to.
City council's special interests affordable housing, and the local hotel workers union. So who do you think they are building affordable housing for? And have given it too already? As I said it really is a rigged system.
And again if you're relying on new excessively large projects to be one of your main sources of affordable housing, what does that say. Especially because the residents have already done a successful referendum on one of them. There are so many problems it's mind boggling, but maybe that's the point to make it so chaotic that no one can see where the money is really going.
I think the political person who decided temporary and emergency shelters were not good or needed for the homeless, should have to be homeless for six months to a year. Then tell us how the homeless don't need them.

LOL, it's not that often I find a Californian that I can agree with much beyond the fact there is a problem. The employable homeless just want a safe place to sleep and shower/clean up that provides a little human dignity so they can work their way out of it. These so-called shelters are places you go to die.

All people need to feel human dignity to be able to even reach out for help. Too many people today are looked at as inconveniences, being pushed or thrown to the side, as though they don't really matter. Which is no place to start from when trying to help yourself.

Exactly, you seem to be pretty knowledgeable on this subject, to you work with or volunteer with the homeless?

No...I speak at city council meetings. So I've seen a lot of things go from bad to worse, due to the way the city chooses to spend it's money. This is just a little example, the catered sandwiches left over at the homeless commission meeting went to the police instead of the homeless. Again showing what a sham it is.

I can't say that surprises me :/

I try to help everyone in the community, except our city council and some city staff members, who's special interests take precedence over the residents. But when you have no problem speaking truth to power...it is a little unnerving to them. :)
But when half a million in grant funding for affordable housing in your city is going to the city next to yours to rehab 14 units, so your city can get three units for homeless people from your city when they become available. Again looks like paying to push the homeless problem to other cities but ours. And if the problem is increasing faster than you can house the homeless, as you pointed out, you end up with a situation that is not easy to manage. As well as making many homeless services, now seeming to be a money making racket for the benefit of others than the homeless.