California spent $24 billion on the state&#8217;s homeless crisis over the past five years, but it did not consistently track whether the enormous amount of spending was making a dent in the problem, a state audit has found.
The <a href="https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2023-102.1/index.html#section1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">audit</a> released Tuesday found California “lacks current information on the ongoing costs and outcomes of its homelessness programs.”
The state agency responsible for the issue “has not consistently tracked and evaluated the State’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness,” the audit discovered.
California has about 30% of the country&#8217;s homeless people, and the number continues to rise.
A total of 181,399 people were homeless in California at some point in 2023, up from 151,278 people in 2019. Last year&#8217;s homeless population was a 53% jump from the 118,552 people who were homeless in 2013, according to the audit.
Billions of taxpayer dollars were spent on more than 30 homeless and housing programs between 2018 and 2023, yet California could not explain why homelessness did not improve in some cities. In some areas, homelessness has become visibly worse, notably in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.
San Francisco&#8217;s downtown has emptied out as drug addicts shoot up in broad daylight and tents line the streets. The city is restricted from removing tents from the streets unless it can prove it is providing shelter for each person.
In September, Sacramento’s top prosecutor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sacramentos-top-prosecutor-sues-city-over-homeless-encampments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> the city over its homeless encampments, accusing city officials of allowing the homeless population to become a public nuisance.
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“This report concludes that the state must do more to assess the cost-effectiveness of its homelessness programs,” State Auditor Grant Parks wrote in a letter to Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers.
The audit examined five state homeless programs to assess their cost-effectiveness and found that two housing-related programs were likely cost-effective. However, the audit was unable to assess the other three programs because the state failed to collect enough data.
The audit recommended that the legislature take action to require the state&#8217;s main homelessness agency to compile and publicly report the costs and results of taxpayer-funded homelessness programs.
The California Interagency Council on Homelessness, the state agency responsible for homelessness programs, responded to the state auditor&#8217;s report, saying it &#8220;generally agrees&#8221; with the recommendations and will take &#8220;appropriate measures to implement where possible.&#8221;
In the wake of the audit, California Republican leaders blasted the state&#8217;s Democratic leadership.
&#8220;This is standard Gavin Newsom – make a splashy announcement, waste a bunch of taxpayer money, and completely fail to deliver,&#8221; California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-gop-leaders-call-accountability-state-cant-account-24b-spent-homeless-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&#8220;Californians are tired of the homeless crisis, and they’re even more tired of Gavin’s excuses. We need results – period, full stop,&#8221; Gallagher added.
Republican state Sen. Roger Niello called the audit &#8220;troubling&#8221; but criticized the audit itself for focusing heavily on shelter.
&#8220;The one issue I had with the audit was that the focus was mostly on housing and shelter issues, which is certainly important, but really very little about actual results, getting people out of homelessness, not just into shelter,&#8221; Niello <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-gop-leaders-call-accountability-state-cant-account-24b-spent-homeless-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;That&#8217;s sort of half the job, maybe not even quite half the job. And, so that was a little bit of a disappointment.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-US-HEALTH-VIRUS

California Can’t Account For All $24 Billion Spent On Homeless Crisis, Audit Finds

California Can't Account For All $24 Billion Spent On Homeless Crisis, Audit Finds

California

Crime

Drugs

Homeless

Homelessness

Republicans

Americans are sinking deeper into financial struggles with a whopping $1.1 trillion in credit card debt, and a record number also cannot afford their rent.
Credit card debt jumped by $50 billion in just the last quarter of the year, 4.6% more than the previous quarter, according to data released Tuesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Credit card debt first hit a trillion dollars in August.
Missed credit card payments are also rising among all age groups, especially people in their 30s, the data shows.
&#8220;In the case of credit cards, it looks like things have reverted to a level that is worse than pre-pandemic,&#8221; New York Federal Reserve researchers <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/americans-credit-card-debt-hits-record-113-trillion/story?id=106990807" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters on a call Tuesday.
Inflation and spiking rents are driving credit card debt.
The total household debt also jumped $212 billion up to $17.5 trillion in the last quarter of the year.
Another factor of debt is rising car prices — used cars and new cars are much more expensive than before the pandemic.
Car loans rose by $12 billion in the last quarter of the year, hitting $1.61 trillion. Delinquencies on those loans also increased.
Meanwhile, more Americans than ever are spending a significant portion of their income on rent.
A record 22.4 million renters, about half the country&#8217;s renters, were spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities in 2022, according to a <a href="https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_Americas_Rental_Housing_2024.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> released earlier this month by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
The rental market is now cooling, but rent prices are still much higher than pre-pandemic, and wage growth has not kept up.
Median weekly wages grew only 1.7% between 2019 and 2023, government figures <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/the-purchasing-power-of-american-households#ftn3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a>.
People earning between $45,000 and just under $75,000 a year saw the most significant increase in newly “cost-burdened” renters, according to the report.
“So you can certainly imagine the kinds of tradeoffs that have to happen,” Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, a senior research associate at the Harvard center, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/record-number-americans-afford-rent-lawmakers-scrambling-107013779#:~:text=The%20latest%20data%20from%20the,income%20on%20rent%20in%202022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC News.
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“Cost-burden renters are spending less on things like food and health care and retirement. So, there are significant implications for the long-term well-being of these households,” Airgood-Obrycki said.
At the same time, homelessness is also on the rise.
About 653,000 people reported being homeless in January of last year, the Harvard report found.
That’s up about 12% from the same time the previous year in 2022, the largest single-year increase ever recorded, the report says. About 71,000 more people were homeless last year than the year before.
Even more striking, last year’s number was about 48% higher than the homeless population in 2015.

credit card and money, credit card putted on dollars.

Americans Owe Over $1.1 Trillion In Credit Card Debt, Record Number Can’t Afford Rent

Americans Owe Over $1.1 Trillion In Credit Card Debt, Record Number Can't Afford Rent

Banking

Business

credit card

Economy

Housing

The only Denny&#8217;s diner in Oakland, California, has shut down after 54 years due to rising crime, the company said this week.
The location at 601 Hegenberg Road in Oakland is now closed permanently, the company said in a memo shared with news outlets.
&#8220;Closing a restaurant location is never an easy decision or one taken lightly,&#8221; the memo said. &#8220;However, the safety and well-being of Denny&#8217;s team members and valued guests is our top priority. Weighing those factors, the decision has been made to close this location.&#8221;
Staffers who worked at the Oakland location will be offered positions at other locations where they are available.
&#8220;Denny&#8217;s offers its heartfelt thanks to the team members and the local community for their love of the Denny&#8217;s brand; it has been a pleasure serving you,&#8221; Denny&#8217;s said.
It is the first time in Denny&#8217;s 75 years that the diner chain has been forced to close one of its restaurants.
The decision comes after West Coast burger chain In-N-Out recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/in-n-out-burger-to-close-its-only-location-in-oakland-due-to-crime">announced</a> it would close its Oakland location in March, also due to rising crime.
In May, hundreds of angry residents of the liberal city showed up to a town hall meeting on crime, describing brutal incidents of criminals assaulting women and older people, sometimes in previously safe neighborhoods.
In July, the Oakland chapter of the NAACP <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oakland-naacp-blasts-city-leaders-over-crime-calls-for-state-of-emergency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blasted</a> city leaders and called for a state of emergency over the city’s crime “crisis.” The black civil rights organization, which <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/lets-stop-pretending-naacp-is-more-than-weaponized-left-wing-propaganda-machine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tends</a> to lean Left, blamed the “defund the police” movement specifically as part of the reason for the crime spike.
Murders and robberies are all up in Oakland so far this year, <a href="https://cityofoakland2.app.box.com/s/sjiq7usfy27gy9dfe51hp8arz5l1ixad/file/1428751996571" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to police data. Homicides are up to nine murders so far this year, compared to eight last year. Robberies are up 32% to more than 280 robberies.
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However, some bright spots in the city&#8217;s crime statistics include a 30% drop in aggravated assaults to 165 assaults, and car thefts are down 60% to under 450 thefts so far.
Other Bay Area cities have struggled with rising crime as well.
San Francisco&#8217;s worsening trifecta of crime, homelessness, and public drug use has caused many businesses to abandon the city&#8217;s once bustling downtown area. This has left many commercial buildings empty and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/amid-homeless-and-drug-crises-san-franciscos-budget-deficit-could-reach-1-4-billion-officials-warn#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut into</a> the city&#8217;s tax revenue, exacerbating the city&#8217;s growing budget deficit, which city officials warned could reach nearly $1.4 billion by 2027.
Denny&#8217;s still has two other Bay Area locations in Emeryville and Hayward.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/in-n-out-burger-to-close-its-only-location-in-oakland-due-to-crime">In-N-Out Burger To Close Its Only Location In Oakland Due To Crime</a>

Denny’s Restaurant Chain Reports Quarterly Earnings

Denny’s Closes Only Oakland Location After More Than 54 Years Over Crime

Oakland

A record number of well over half a million Americans are homeless as rents continue to surge, a new report finds.
About 653,000 people reported being homeless in January of last year, according to a <a href="https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_Americas_Rental_Housing_2024.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> released Thursday by Harvard&#8217;s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
That&#8217;s up about 12% from the same time the previous year in 2022, the largest single-year increase ever recorded, the report says. About 71,000 more people were homeless last year than the year before.
Even more striking, last year&#8217;s number was about 48% higher than the homeless population in 2015.
Sky-high rent prices and inflation are partly to blame, along with the end of pandemic relief, such as eviction protections.
&#8220;Rapidly rising rents, combined with wage losses in the early stages of the pandemic, have underscored the inadequacy of the existing housing safety net, especially in times of crisis,&#8221; the Harvard report said.
The median rent in the U.S. was $1,964 in December, 23% higher since the pandemic, <a href="https://www.rent.com/research/january-2024-rent-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Rent.com.
The rental market is cooling, but rent prices are still much higher than they were pre-pandemic, and wage growth has not kept up.
Median weekly wages grew only 1.7% between 2019 and 2023, government figures <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/the-purchasing-power-of-american-households#ftn3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a>.
People earning between $45,000 and just under $75,000 a year saw the biggest increase in newly &#8220;cost-burdened&#8221; renters, according to the report.
In 2022, about 41% of those renters were spending between 30% and 50% of their monthly pay on housing. That&#8217;s a 5.4 percentage point increase over how many spent this much before the pandemic, and nearly double how many people did back in 2001.
Meanwhile, low-cost rental units are disappearing. More than half a million apartments with rents under $600 disappeared between 2019 and 2022.
Arizona, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas were some of the places that saw the biggest rise in homelessness due to spiking housing costs.
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In California and Washington state, both of which have a chronic homelessness problem and overburdened shelters, the issue has gotten worse.
Homelessness <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-06-29/la-los-angeles-homeless-crisis-unhoused-people-by-the-numbers#:~:text=grew%209%25%20in-,Los%20Angeles%20County,county%20on%20any%20given%20night.">increased</a> 9% in Los Angeles County in 2023, totaling an estimated 75,000 people. About 38,000 people <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rising-crime-homelessness-leave-residents-of-san-francisco-and-oakland-on-edge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are homeless</a> in the Bay Area on a given night. That’s up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself.
Crime and open-air drug use often accompany the homeless issue, causing businesses to flee San Francisco’s downtown, where foot traffic has thinned. The deadly fentanyl epidemic, in particular, has ravaged the Bay Area as well as other cities, including New York and Philadelphia, which also struggle with homelessness.
In Washington, the number of homeless people rose 11% to 28,036 last year, although that is likely an undercount, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/hud-reports-record-high-homeless-count-in-2023-for-u-s-wa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to state data.

Homelessness Reaches All-Time Record In New York City

Record Number Of Americans Are Homeless As Rent Climbs: Report

Record Number Of Americans Are Homeless As Rent Climbs, Report Shows

Inflation

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/oregon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oregon</a> Democrats are moving to undo part of the state&#8217;s drug decriminalization law that has plummeted in popularity since it went into effect.
Democrats on the state legislature&#8217;s addiction committee announced Tuesday that they will introduce a new bill to bring back misdemeanor criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of drugs.
In 2020, Oregon voters approved Measure 110, which scrapped criminal charges for possessing small amounts of any drug, even hard drugs like fentanyl.
Instead, offenders are hit with a maximum fine of $100 that is rarely enforced. Drug users can also get their fine dismissed if they call a hotline to get an addiction screening, but in the law&#8217;s first year, only 1% of people who received tickets for drug possession called the hotline, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-health/ap-oregons-first-in-the-nation-drug-decriminalization-law-faces-growing-pushback-amid-fentanyl-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to state auditors.
About 58% of Oregon voters approved the drug decriminalization law, the first of its kind in the country.
In the years since Measure 110 took effect, however, the law has become increasingly unpopular as residents deal with public drug use in their daily lives.
Two years later, more than 6 in 10 voters said they thought decriminalization has made drug addiction, homelessness, and crime worse in Oregon, according to a May <a href="https://www.dhmresearch.com/oregon-voters-support-bringing-back-criminal-penalties-for-drug-possession/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> from DMH Research. A combined 63% said they “strongly” supported or would be “somewhat” interested in once again criminalizing hard drugs.
Meanwhile, fatal drug overdoses in Oregon have spiked.
Oregon had more than 1,700 drug overdose deaths during the year that ended in August, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The number is a 38% increase from the more than 1,200 deaths the state saw in the previous 12 months.
The new bill Democrats plan to introduce would make using drugs in certain public places like parks a low-level misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $1,250 fine or both. However, drug users can avoid charges if they complete a behavioral health screening and meet with a caseworker.
The bill would <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/open-air-drug-use-overdoses-push-democrats-introduce-overhaul-first-nation-decriminalization-law" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also</a> let police confiscate a user&#8217;s drugs and establish stronger sentences for dealing drugs in certain places such as near parks or homeless shelters. It would also increase access to treatment, housing, and insurance.
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“It’s the compromise path, but also the best policy that we can come up with to make sure that we are continuing to keep communities safe and save lives,” <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-u-s-news/ap-with-oregon-facing-rampant-public-drug-use-lawmakers-backpedal-on-pioneering-decriminalization-law/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> state Senator Kate Lieber (D), who co-chairs the addiction committee and will introduce the new bill.
As recently as November, Lieber was <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-health/ap-oregons-first-in-the-nation-drug-decriminalization-law-faces-growing-pushback-amid-fentanyl-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> it would be a &#8220;mistake&#8221; to overturn Measure 110, saying such a move would &#8220;make us go backwards.&#8221;
In September, the Portland City Council passed a ban on using hard drugs on public property, a sign of how fed up the city is with rampant open-air drug use polluting its streets.
However, that ordinance cannot go into effect unless the state reverses its decriminalization law.

Handcuffs on wrist, drug syringe

Oregon Democrats Move To Undo Part Of Unpopular Drug Decriminalization Law

Democrats

Drug Cartels

Fentanyl

Oregon

Prescription Drugs

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/san-francisco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Francisco&#8217;s</a> budget deficit could hit $1.4 billion, city officials are warning, as the city struggles with out-of-control homelessness and drugs on its streets.
Businesses have fled office buildings and storefronts downtown, where an open-air drug market thrives every day depriving the city by the bay of taxes it relied on and leaving it in a tight spot.
On Wednesday, Mayor London Breed’s budget director laid out the grim situation during a budget presentation.
“This is not going to be a positive presentation today. We’re in a tough spot,” budget director Anna Duning said, The San Francisco Standard <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/17/san-francisco-budget-deficit-1-4-billion-cuts-london-breed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The city&#8217;s budget deficit could reach nearly $1.4 billion by 2027, officials projected. The fiscal year starting in July will have a $245 million deficit, and next year, the deficit will likely top half a billion dollars.
Tax revenue from businesses, sales, hotels, parking, and property transfers has dropped by roughly 20%. Tourism also never fully recovered after the pandemic, adding to the city&#8217;s financial woes.
“What we saw during the pandemic was a seismic shift in the economic foundation of this city,” Duning said.
City employee costs are rising as well, particularly health care costs for employees, which <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/17/san-francisco-budget-deficit-1-4-billion-cuts-london-breed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> spiked nearly 10% this year. Meanwhile, 25,000 city workers have their contracts expiring at the end of June, and the new contract negotiations are expected to be tough.
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Initially, Breed had <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/05/31/san-francisco-mayor-proposes-record-spending-despite-780m-deficit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> record spending, especially on homelessness and the police department, but in December, she <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/12/13/san-francisco-budget-cuts-800-million-deficit-taxes-spending/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> city departments to prepare for 10% budget cuts.
On Wednesday, Supervisor Connie Chan said, “the decisions we make today, in this fiscal year and in the next fiscal year, is actually really critical.”
San Francisco has been in the throes of a homelessness and drug crisis that has come with rampant crime for years now. The city consistently struggles to make a dent in the humanitarian crisis unfolding every day on the streets.
Homelessness has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rising-crime-homelessness-leave-residents-of-san-francisco-and-oakland-on-edge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are homeless</a> in the Bay Area on a given night. That’s up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself.
San Francisco also has a deadly drug crisis driven by fentanyl, and the city saw record fatal overdoses last year. A total of 752 people died from drug overdoses in San Francisco between January and November, more deaths than in any other year, preliminary data from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/05/san-francisco-drug-users-tenderloin-posters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a>.
Overall crime was down last year, but certain types of crime were up, including car thefts, San Francisco police data <a href="https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a>. Compared to 2019 before the pandemic, however, many types of crime are still elevated, including murders, robberies, burglary, and arson.

US-APEC-SUMMIT

Amid Homeless And Drug Crises, San Francisco’s Budget Deficit Could Reach $1.4 Billion, Officials Warn

Amid Homeless Crisis, San Francisco's Budget Deficit Could Reach $1.4 Billion, Officials Warn

San Francisco

Flyers promoting drug use and criticizing cops popped up in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/san-francisco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Francisco&#8217;s</a> downtown area this week, posted by a group claiming to represent drug users.
A six-person group called the Drug User Liberation Collective <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/05/san-francisco-drug-users-tenderloin-posters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> the signs in the city&#8217;s Tenderloin neighborhood, which is notorious for being rife with open-air drug use.
“Downtown is for drug users,” reads one of the signs. “Yea we buy drugs and do drugs here. A lot of us don&#8217;t have housing, so we don&#8217;t have a choice in the matter.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Amid a crackdown on drug use in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, a group puts up pro-drug flyers reading &quot;downtown is for drug users.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/iqXq7C9NV3">https://t.co/iqXq7C9NV3</a>
&mdash; The San Francisco Standard (@sfstandard) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfstandard/status/1743287568655954346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It’s very literally not hurting you, your business, or the economy,” the sign continues. &#8220;But it could seem like it because of all the stigma and misinformation out there.&#8221;
The poster also slammed Mayor London Breed by name, accusing the mayor of &#8220;targeting our communities in order to build political power.&#8221;
Breed has spearheaded a crackdown on public drug use and drug dealing that has <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/critics-slam-san-francisco-mayors-crackdown-on-drug-users-raising-human-rights-concerns/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resulted</a> in more arrests.
“Anti-drug user culture and laws = white supremacy,” another sign reads, noting that black people die from overdoses at several times the rate of white people in San Francisco.
The campaign was created by Nova Schultz, who is referred to as &#8220;they&#8221; in an <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/05/san-francisco-drug-users-tenderloin-posters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with the San Francisco Standard and previously used a different name. Schultz is a self-described “drug user in recovery” and a clinician for a downtown mental health organization.
“Our lives are inherently criminalized. It’s illegal to be us,” Schultz told the outlet. “People who use drugs are not morally corrupt.”
Schultz also argued that criminal activity associated with drug use is due to drugs being illegal.
The Drug User Liberation Collective wants drug laws to stop being enforced. The group also wants supervised drug-use facilities and a regulated “safe supply” of drugs, Schultz said.
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San Francisco is suffering from a deadly drug crisis and saw record fatal overdoses last year.
A total of 752 people died from drug overdoses in San Francisco between January and November, more deaths than in any other year, preliminary data from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/05/san-francisco-drug-users-tenderloin-posters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a>.
The overdose crisis is driven by fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/portland-sees-biggest-fentanyl-bust-in-sheriffs-office-history">about</a> 50 times more potent than heroin, is inexpensive to make, and easily transported. Fentanyl has been increasingly smuggled over the southern border into the U.S. by Mexican cartels.
San Francisco has has poured <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/tenderloin-drug-arrests-18327055.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">millions</a> of dollars into addressing addiction and overdoses, including a “safe consumption” site in the Tenderloin neighborhood that ran for about 11 months in 2022. The site was closed amid concerns over how much it was costing taxpayers, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/tenderloin-drug-arrests-18327055.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaints</a> from nearby residents about the neighborhood deteriorating, and its failure to connect many addicts with drug treatment programs.
Homelessness has only <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-sees-record-drug-overdose-deaths-in-august-like-a-zombie-apocalypse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gotten worse</a> in the city since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night, up 35% since 2019.

US-APEC-SUMMIT-HOMELESSNESS

‘Downtown Is For Drug Users:’ Pro-Drug Use Campaign Appears In San Francisco Amid Record Overdose Deaths

'Downtown Is For Drug Users:' Pro-Drug Use Campaign Appears In San Francisco Amid Record Overdose Deaths

Democrats on the Minneapolis City Council do not want to immediately clear a homeless encampment populated by American Indians despite other Indian groups saying it is crime-ridden and urging the city to clean it up.
The city is set to clear a major homeless encampment next week, but on Thursday, eight Democrats on the city council asked Mayor Jacob Frey to delay the cleanup until February, the Star Tribune <a href="https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-plans-to-clear-homeless-encampment-week-but-city-council-members-want-delay-phillips/600325221/?refresh=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The homeless encampment, known as Camp Nenookaasi, has about 180 people and was set up by American Indian women in September after the city cleaned up a different encampment.
City officials say the encampment must be cleared due to public safety and health concerns. Residents who live nearby have complained about crime.
Organizers, however, as well as some council members say the camp is more organized than a typical homeless encampment.
&#8220;This is more controlled,&#8221; Councilman Jamal Osman said at a press conference on Thursday. Osman&#8217;s Ward 6 includes the encampment.
&#8220;We haven&#8217;t had a lot of incidents,&#8221; Osman said. &#8220;There will be more safety concerns if these 180 people go to the surrounding streets.&#8221;
Earlier this week, dozens of supporters of the encampment showed up at City Hall during a public hearing to oppose the cleanup.
Meanwhile, American Indian groups have been demanding the city close the encampment for months.
One of those demanding a cleanup is Ryan Salmon, interim chair of Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors, which includes more than more than 30 native organizations including the Indian Health Board.
&#8220;Not only are crimes being committed regularly, but they are also being hidden from police with threats of and physical acts of violence, to those who would normally report,&#8221; Salmon wrote this month in a letter to the city demanding the camp be &#8220;closed immediately.&#8221;
The mayor&#8217;s office said they are still assessing the decision to clean up the encampment next week.
&#8220;These decisions are informed by leading experts from multiple city departments, and prioritize the safety of the people both in the encampment and in the surrounding neighborhood,&#8221; said a spokeswoman for the mayor.
&#8220;We are also listening to Native leaders who, in this case, have been demanding the City take this action for months,&#8221; she said.
The council members who requested to delay the encampment cleanup until February also said they do not want to keep the camp open indefinitely. The goal is to house the people living there, they said.
Homelessness has been a growing problem in the U.S. since the pandemic.
Cities on the West Coast in particular have struggling with a growing homeless population as well as spiking drug use.

Homeless people rally to end raids on encampments in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

American Indian Groups Demand Homeless Encampment Be Cleared, But Minneapolis Democrats Want To Delay

Minneapolis

Minnesota

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> is set to spend nearly $300 million to clean up homeless encampments near state roads.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D) <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/11/27/california-has-removed-5679-encampments-announces-300-million-in-new-funding-to-move-people-out-of-encampments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> the expensive new effort on Monday with Caltrans, the state&#8217;s Department of Transportation.
&#8220;The public has had it,&#8221; Newsom <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/california-launches-new-effort-to-clear-homeless-camps-from-state-roads/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> when announcing the new homeless effort. &#8220;They&#8217;re fed up. I&#8217;m fed up. We&#8217;re all fed up.&#8221;
Cities, counties, and continuums of care can submit applications for a grant from a $299 million fund, which are reviewed by California&#8217;s Interagency Council on Homelessness.
The program&#8217;s enforcement will focus on moving homeless people found camping along state roadways or &#8220;any piece of land being used for transportation purposes&#8221; into housing, Caltrans spokesperson Alisa Becerra said. This would include areas like bike paths and park and rides as well as highways.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a safety risk for them, for the infrastructure, for our staff, for first responders, and potentially for the traveling public, and that&#8217;s why we remove encampments,&#8221; said Becerra.
Fire hazards are one issue with homeless people living near roadways.
Newsom&#8217;s new homeless effort comes just after a huge fire started near a homeless encampment under the I-10 freeway in Los Angeles on November 11. There was some confusion about whether the fire started in the homeless encampment or at a leased storage space underneath the road that had flammable materials, but regardless, the homeless encampment was caught up in the blaze.
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Common fire hazards at homeless encampments are outdoor cooking, homeless people <a href="https://www.smobserved.com/story/2023/11/13/news/fire-at-homeless-encampment-under-santa-monica-freeway-closes-the-main-east-west-highway-in-los-angeles-county-for-3-months/7919.html">stealing</a> electricity from outside light fixtures, and a lot of highly flammable items like gas-powered generators and plenty of debris strewn around.
The governor&#8217;s offices said the state has cleared nearly 5,700 encampments over the last two years and has already provided $415 million to cities and local areas for cleaning encampments and housing homeless people.
&#8220;I think we can all agree that we need to do more to clean up encampments,&#8221; Newsom said.
&#8220;We weren&#8217;t just cleaning up encampments – out of sight, out of mind – and displacing people, removing people, but that we&#8217;re trying to resolve the underlying issues in the first place and actually support people in getting them back on their feet to self-sufficiency,&#8221; the governor said.
However, California state Senator Brian Dahle (R) argued with Newsom&#8217;s claim that the state has cleared thousands of homeless encampments.
&#8220;The governor didn’t clear these homeless encampments; they just moved them down the street,&#8221; Dahle <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-pay-millions-clear-homeless-camps-state-senator-residents-being-gaslighted" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;California spends more tax dollars per homeless person than we do on our students. The homeless crisis is a national embarrassment. This governor needs to focus on real results instead of chasing presidential aspirations and gas-lighting Californians.&#8221;

US-HOMELESS-CENSUS-LOSANGELES

California Will Spend $300 Million To Clear Homeless Encampments

Gavin Newsom

City officials in Washington, D.C., said a new homeless shelter at a former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-washington-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Washington University</a> dorm will be delayed at least six months amid a lawsuit from residents of the area.
The homeless shelter at the vacant former dorm will now open in the spring or summer rather than this year, officials with the city&#8217;s Department of Human Services <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/11/16/dc-homeless-shelter-george-washington-university-dorm-delay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Wednesday.
George Washington University sold the building, called the Aston, to the D.C. government for $27.5 million in August. The vacant former dorm is a 67,000-square-foot building at 1129 New Hampshire Avenue NW in the nation&#8217;s capital.
One reason for the shelter project&#8217;s delay is contract negotiations with a services provider for the shelter, officials <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/11/16/dc-homeless-shelter-george-washington-university-dorm-delay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Washington Post.
Meanwhile though, the project has not been popular with residents.
A group called the West End DC Community Association filed a lawsuit last month to block the homeless shelter, arguing that the city&#8217;s plan to offer medical services at the shelter violates zoning rules. The lawsuit claims D.C. “ignored and/or intentionally circumvented” its own zoning laws by planning to build a medical clinic in a residential zone.
“There has been a lawsuit, a federal complaint. So that has added to our plan, having to respond to things that maybe we did not anticipate having to respond to. But nevertheless, we have experienced some delays,” the city&#8217;s Human Services chief of staff David Ross said Wednesday night at a meeting hosted by the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
The shelter will offer medical services for people with chronic conditions such as liver disease, but the shelter is “is absolutely not a medical facility,” Ross said.
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“No needles, no drawn blood, no procedures, no anesthesia, so forgive us for being a little loose of the lip by saying medical because that’s what is conjured up,” said Anthony Newman, deputy administrator for the city&#8217;s Human Services&#8217; family services administration.
The same community group previously filed another lawsuit against the sale of the building in July, but withdrew that suit once the sale was completed.
Washington, D.C., has struggled with rising homelessness in recent months.
Homelessness had been declining in the D.C. metro region since 2019, but it rose 18% this year to nearly 9,000 homeless people, <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2023/05/11/dc-homeless-count-how-many" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a May report by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Other cities are facing a more dire homeless crisis.
On the West Coast, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/los-angeles-homelessness-up-10-2023-count-shows">all</a> seen a rise in homelessness in recent years.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 23: The George Washington University resi

D.C. Delays Homeless Shelter At Former George Washington University Dorm Amid Lawsuit

George Washington University

Social Issues

Washington D.C.

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/l-a-freeway-closed-indefinitely-after-massive-fire-compromises-structure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">massive fire</a> that erupted under the I-10 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles last weekend — disrupting commutes for hundreds of thousands of residents — was likely caused by arson.
&#8220;Arson appears to be the likely ignition for this fire,&#8221; Newsom <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/arson-determined-likely-cause-of-10-freeway-fire-in-downtown-la/3267475/#:~:text=Gov.%20Gavin%20Newsom%20announced%20Monday,to%20put%20out%20the%20flames." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, according to NBC. &#8220;That ignition (point and cause) was determined with precision by the fire marshal, Cal Fire, and their teams.&#8221;
Newsom reportedly <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/there-was-malice-intent-governor-newsom-addresses-cause-of-massive-fire-under-i-10-freeway-in-downtown-la/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Cal Fire investigators completed the initial probe and determined &#8220;there was malice intent&#8221; and &#8220;that it was arson and that it was done and set intentionally.&#8221;
&#8220;The determination of who was responsible is an investigation that is ongoing,&#8221; he said.
Authorities have not identified a suspect or suspects connected to the possible cause of the inferno, but the governor noted the fire started below the freeway within the fence line of a storage facility filled with pallets, trailers, and vehicles.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the blaze started around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday under Interstate 10 and quickly spread through the storage facility. Authorities said the flames engulfed both sides of 14th Street underneath the portion of the freeway, melted steel guardrails, and damaged a number of firetrucks.
LAFD authorities said 164 firefighters battled the flames through the night to extinguish the fire and defend three nearby commercial buildings from damage.
Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said at a news conference Sunday, &#8220;Wind pushed the heat and the flames under the freeway, and across the street ignited a secondary storage yard.&#8221;
Crowley reportedly said the fire covered about 80,000 square feet and that crews extinguished much of the blaze in less than three hours. No injuries were reported.
David Ortiz, public information officer for LAFD, <a href="https://www.smobserved.com/story/2023/11/13/news/fire-at-homeless-encampment-under-santa-monica-freeway-closes-the-main-east-west-highway-in-los-angeles-county-for-3-months/7919.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> said a large homeless encampment with tents and RVs dwelled underneath the freeway. Many L.A. residents have speculated online that the fire likely started in the homeless encampment.
Mayor Karen Bass reportedly said there was no initial information to suggest a link between the fire and the homeless population in the area but noted that 16 individuals living in the immediate vicinity of the fire had been provided housing.
&#8220;There is no reason to assume the origin of this fire &#8230; is because there were unhoused individuals nearby,&#8221; Bass said.
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Bass said during a news conference on Sunday that the structural damage &#8220;calls for the same urgency and effort&#8221; as the 1994 Northridge earthquake when I-10 sustained extensive damage but reopened in about three months.
&#8220;For those of you that remember the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Caltrans worked around the clock to complete emergency repairs to the freeways,&#8221; said Bass.
Newsom declared a state of emergency after the massive fire erupted beneath the major freeway — closing the thoroughfare&#8217;s now compromised structure indefinitely and impacting hundreds of thousands of commuters.
Local media reported that the portion of the freeway between Alameda Street and Santa Fe Avenue — about a seven-mile stretch of road — will remain closed indefinitely, creating a traffic nightmare for an estimated 300,000 commuters.
According to reports, initial testing results on the structural integrity of the freeway came back better than expected. Officials said roughly 100 support columns were damaged, including roughly 10 that were severely damaged.
Although some officials <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1724468733954146788" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it&#8217;s still too early to determine when commuters will be safe to drive on the road again, Newsom said on Tuesday they expect the freeway to reopen to traffic in 3-5 weeks while the state works 24 hours a day, seven days a week to repair the damages.

Large Fire Along L.A.’s I-10 Brings Transportation Crisis To Already Traffic Laden L.A.

Newsom Says Arson Likely Started Massive Fire Under L.A. Freeway

Newsom Says Arson Likely Started Massive Fire Under L.A. Freeway: Reports

Arson

Fire

General

Karen Bass

Los Angeles

Denver has spent nearly $2 billion on its homeless problem over the last three years, a new study shows.
Over the last three years, Colorado has spent nearly $2 billion on homelessness, mostly in the Denver metro area, according to the annual <a href="https://commonsenseinstituteco.org/metro-denver-homelessness-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> from the Common Sense Institute.
More than $1.9 billion was set aside for homelessness spending, which comes to about $30,000 to $60,000 per person, the study found.
Meanwhile, the homeless population in Denver is ballooning.
The number of homeless people in the Denver metro area has risen 58% from 5,728 in 2016 to 9,065 in 2023, a rise of about 58%, the study found.
Denver now ranks tenth in the nation for the highest number of homeless people, according to the study.
“It’s a public policy challenge that dominated the election season and generated conversations in neighborhoods across the state. And, rightfully so, this is an issue that pulls at our heartstrings and challenges our compassion,” Kelly Caufield, executive director at the Common Sense Institute <a href="https://denvergazette.com/homeless/denver-metro-homeless-spending-study/article_cd76f85a-7675-11ee-9415-fb8adaac70f6.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement.
In July when Denver Mayor Mike Johnston took office he declared a state of emergency on homelessness and promised to house 1,000 homeless people by the end of the year.
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Last month, Denver police investigated allegations of a “pop-up bar” selling alcohol at a homeless encampment in the city, along with complaints about tents being rented out for prostitution.
Photos of the “pop-up bar” <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/pop-up-bar-homeless-denver-police-investigating-streetside-tavern/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed</a> dozens of liquor bottles displayed on shelves along with a cooler, cushioned chairs, a chaise lounge, couches, tents, and astroturf flooring. Large umbrellas provided shade, and dozens of empty liquor bottles were reportedly visible as well.
Police also investigated complaints about tents and couches being rented out for prostitution.
Other large cities have also been struggling with a persistent homeless problem and the drug use and crime that often go hand in hand.
San Francisco <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-mayor-joins-hundreds-of-protesters-urging-9th-circuit-to-scrap-ban-on-city-clearing-homeless-encampments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been</a> in the throes of a homelessness crisis for years now, and it has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rising-crime-homelessness-leave-residents-of-san-francisco-and-oakland-on-edge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are homeless</a> in the Bay Area on a given night. That’s up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself. Businesses have fled San Francisco’s downtown, where foot traffic has thinned in part due to the homeless issue.
In Los Angeles, homelessness <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/los-angeles-homelessness-up-10-2023-count-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is up</a> 10% this year, <a href="https://www.lahsa.org/news?article=927-lahsa-releases-results-of-2023-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count#:~:text=LOS%20ANGELES%20%E2%80%93%20The%202023%20Greater,to%20an%20estimated%2046%2C260%20people." target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the 2023 greater Los Angeles homeless count results. In the city of Los Angeles itself, the number of homeless people jumped to about 46,260 people. In the broader area of Los Angeles County, the homeless population rose to about 75,518 people.

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

Denver Closing In On $2 Billion Spent On Homelessness Since Pandemic, Study Shows

Colorado

Denver

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