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How many people are experiencing homelessness in San Francisco? The annual one-night tally, or point-in-time count (PIT), counted about 8,300 people experiencing homelessness. However, there is another metric that counts how many people accessed San Francisco's homelessness services. Using that measure, there were at least 20,100 people experiencing homelessness in 2023. Experts recommend that counties should pair the PIT count with other sources of data. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "They’re two different methodologies that are serving different purposes. And together they give us a fairly (accurate) picture of what's going on."

American adults 50 and older are the fastest growing group falling into homelessness. In part 1 of this story, Viewpoints Radio covered the factors fueling this rise. In part  2 – host Gary Price talks with Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, and Dennis Culhane, PhD, professor, social policy, University of Pennsylvania about why this population is especially vulnerable out on the streets and why it’s so hard to find a way back once you’re in this position.

The new, unlikely face of homelessness: Working Americans with decent-paying jobs who cannot afford a place to live. Years of rising rents and a shortage of affordable housing have created a situation where even a strong labor market and rising wages haven’t been enough to offset the financial strains of inflation. About 1 in 4 renters spend at least half of their income on rent and utilities, making them at greater risk for eviction and homelessness. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California at San Francisco, said, "The general public doesn’t see these folks as homeless — they’re not as visible as the people who occupy public spaces, who have substance abuse issues or mental health problems."

On July 25th, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order directing state agencies to clear "dangerous" homeless encampments from state land. State agencies will assess encampments to identify any “imminent threat to life, health, safety or infrastructure.” The new executive order faces criticism from civil rights groups and advocates for people experiencing homelessness. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "If we move people from one place to another place, that doesn’t meet our goal."

Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on July 25, 2024, providing authority for state and local officials to clear unsafe homeless camps. The order advises local jurisdictions to adopt a version of the California Department of Transportation encampment policy, requiring officials to give people experiencing homelessness in encampments a 48-hour notice before a sweep and work with organizations to help anyone displaced. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "In the long term, ending homelessness in California will require increased investments in housing and support services, while simultaneously making it easier to rapidly develop affordable housing."

Homeless encampment cleanup activities do not appear to have long-term effects on the number of people living on the streets, a new study by Rand Corp has found. Another study by the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at UC San Francisco found that far more than the general population, people living on the streets and in shelters are victimized by violence and discrimination. Anita Hargrave, MD, assistant professor at UCSF and lead author on the impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Homelessness study, said, "There is so much tendency in the ongoing discourse on homelessness to dehumanize. When you read through people’s stories when they came to that point when they could no longer be housed, it’s such a powerful way of creating empathy."

Oakland begins a sweep of a homeless camp since the US Supreme Court's landmark ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson last month loosed clearance rules. This sweep highlights the need for more housing and shelter. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "At the end of the day, what people really want is housing."

Each year, older adults make up a greater proportion of America’s homeless population and these numbers are only expected to keep rising. In part one of this story, Viewpoints Radio host Gary Price spoke with Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, and Dennis Culhane, PhD, professor, social policy, University of Pennsylvania, about the main societal factors driving this increase and why this group is particularly vulnerable to homelessness.

One hundred tiny home villages for people experiencing homelessness have opened in the US over the past five years. However, tiny homes, built mainly with philanthropic support, offer more patches than solutions to homelessness. Tiny homes can be built quickly, but issues with securing permits, financing, and local government approval can add costs and delays. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "I would say that tiny homes are an absolutely important part of the ecosystem, but they are not housing."

There’s a lot of misinformation about homelessness in California. It is one of the most prominent problems California faces today. Using data from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness, this article dispels several common myths.