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The Right Solution to Homelessness

Imagine this scene: The clock reads 6:05 p.m. and work is over. As you gather your belongings and prepare to go home, you notice the sun slowly disappear behind tall office buildings, gradually being replaced by a magnificent array of deep pink and purple clouds. Stepping outside, there seems to be a sudden chill in the air, and the sky continues to get darker and gloomier as you walk to your car. A trickle of rain falls on your shoulders and it becomes quite obvious that a storm is brewing. Not wanting to get caught in the bad weather, you pick up the pace, passing several beggars along the way and not paying the least bit of attention to them. As you approach your car, there is another homeless man in your way. He holds a sign that reads, “I will not lie, it’s for beer.” Feeling pity for him because he has to camp out in the pouring rain, you reach into your pocket and pull out a crisp dollar bill. After giving it to him, you’re on your way home once again.

When you arrive home to greet your family, you feel pretty darn good about yourself. But do you think you did a good thing? After all, he did state that he would use your money to buy beer. And if it wasn’t for beer, could your dollar really have given him food or shelter? I don’t think so. And what about all the other homeless people you passed along the way?

This situation was actually something that happened to me a while back. I gave a beggar a dollar and really regretted it later. What would he do with my dollar? Would it really help him?

Recently, a friend of mine has been doing a lot of research on homelessness for his writing class in school. He is also volunteering at a homeless shelter to help out homeless children. His interest in helping the less fortunate in our community has made me more aware of the homeless people around me. San Francisco is full of homeless people — they’re all over the streets. Some people feel sorry for these unfortunate souls, while others feel that they are inferior to the tax-paying citizens of San Francisco, that the homeless just get in the way. As for me, I feel that there is hope for the homeless because they are people too. They can certainly contribute to the community if given the chance to do so. However, just handing them money is not the right way to help them out. You never know what that money will be used for, and it is almost a certainty that the money will not be enough for proper housing and nutritious meals.

One of the many strategies to help out the needy is a plan called the “Care Not Cash” initiative. It is sponsored by Gavin Newsom, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The “Care Not Cash” initiative will take direct cash payments for the homeless and use the money to provide them with housing, drug and alcohol treatment, and mental health care.

After paying for housing and other social services, the homeless will end up with about $59 a month in cash, a lot less than the average of $300 a month. Although they will have a lot less spending money, the homeless will be getting a lot more of what they really need. I feel it is a lot better this way.

Many people are unaware of the tremendous homelessness problem that we have here in San Francisco, while others just don’t care. In the past decade or so, over 1,000 homeless people have lost their lives in San Francisco. In about half the cases, death was caused by drugs or alcohol — in most cases, both were involved. I personally think this is a huge problem. Would it be different if it were a family member or loved one out there on the streets? I’m sure you would want someone to help you if you were homeless, wouldn’t you?

Next time you pass a homeless person who asks if you can spare some change, remember that even though it is much easier just to hand over money, you will be helping him or her out much more if you give your spare change to a local organization, such as the ones participating in the “Care Not Cash” initiative. You will know exactly where your hard-earned money is going, and I bet you will go to sleep feeling much better about yourself, knowing you made a difference that will eventually lead someone onto the right track.