California
Welcome to /c/California, an online haven that brings to life the unrivaled diversity and vibrancy of California! This engaging community offers a virtual exploration of the Golden State, taking you from the stunning Pacific coastline to the rugged Sierra Nevada, and every town, city, and landmark in between. Discover California's world-class wineries, stunning national parks, innovative tech scene, robust agricultural heartland, and culturally diverse metropolises.
Discussions span a wide range of topics—from travel tips and restaurant recommendations to local politics and environmental issues. Whether you're a lifelong resident, a recent transplant, or planning your dream visit, /c/California is your one-stop place to share experiences, ask questions, and celebrate all the things that make California truly unique.
Related Communities:
Nearby Communities:
- California
- Bakersfield, CA
- Bay Area, CA
- Burbank, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Oakland, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Jose, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Santa Clarita, CA
view the rest of the comments
I hate Gavin Newsom as much as the next guy, and I saw these headlines earlier and was pissed.
But...
...if you actually read the articles, he's following that with trying to appropriate 3 billion to address the problem of homelessness in a more practical way. And, that's the smart thing to do, because letting them live on the street and addressing it through policing and prisons is not only ineffective, but vastly more expensive.
Though, ideologically, I agree that criminalizing homelessness is a step backward.
This is really the crux of it, pairing enforcement with housing, emergency shelter, and treatment is the way to go.
There's a genuine question to ask...if you've offered someone all the support you can muster to move into their own apartment, fully paid for with support staff on site, and that person says no, they'd rather live in a tent in the park, what options are left?
I totally understand turning down emergency shelters. They can be crowded, difficult places. But when you're offering people their own rooms and they say no, what do you do next?
Finland has, essentially, solved the problem of homelessness. They still have approximately 1000 willfully homeless people.
There is no perfect solution, but we can get really, really close, and that's what California (and the US) need to do.
Finland is a very different place than California. If you don't have your wits about you outdoors in Finland for at least 3 months of the year, you will die. The weather, in a way, forces solutions on people. Finland is more comparable to Minnesota in terms of weather, population, and size, and the issue of homelessness in Minnesota pales in comparison to California.
Finland also has universal healthcare, and it's hard to overstate how impactful easy access to competent mental health and substance use treatment is.
In California, you can wear shorts all year, and mental health and substance use treatment are difficult to access and largely administered by for-profit companies providing awful care.
I get that.
That's why I say there are no perfect solutions. We can only ever get most of the way there, which is what California and the US should shoot for.
What alternative universe California are you from? In this one where I live, anywhere except the Southern Cal coast, it's too cold in fall and winter because valley and desert weather are extreme.
They think all of Cali is IB, lol
Clearly I'm exaggerating about wearing shorts all the time, but also I'm talking about where all the people live. It rarely if ever goes below freezing across almost the entire state, save the mountains and the deserts, where people don't live.
You figure out why they're saying no.
It's often stuff like forcing spouses to separate in order to get housing, concerns that the provided housing is unsafe, or mental illness which prevents sleeping inside.
I work in homeless services and can tell you first-hand it's not that simple
Definitely not. But just force people isnt going to do anything but send people to jail.
This is the correct answer, and it's sad it has any downvotes.