7 ms·

Show HN: A website aiming to fix homelessness in SF

45 points by SeckinJohn 13y ago

Hi everyone, I am organizing a crowdfunding campaign to give blankets/food/books/glasses and new year's postcards to 1000 homeless people in San Francisco. Since we as the residents already spend a lot of money on the homelessness issue in SF via government(200MM+/year), I thought some of us would be willing to take a more active role in fixing this issue by donating to campaigns like this one(and to more sustainable ones). So, I am thinking of turning this campaign into a crowdfunding platform for activists and organizations that want to work on homelessness related issues in San Francisco. I wanted to share the campaign here thinking you might like the idea & might want to share your thoughts on it: https://operationsflove.com So far the supporters have been mostly my friends but I believe this could go viral with some improvement. Would love hear what you all think, Thanks, Seckin

srameshc 13y ago
I think its a great idea.
gkoberger 13y ago
Very awesome. One thing I love about Watsi is that I can actually see (and pick) who I'm donating to. There's something cool about being able to read their stories and see their pictures -- it almost makes me feel bad going to the site and not donating. Good luck!
- gkoberger 13y ago
  Someone else mentioned this site, which is exactly what I was thinking: https://handup.us/ https://handup.us/
jpeg_hero 13y ago
How does this "fix homelessness in SF?" Same number of homeless but now they have blankets and books too?
- vehementi 13y ago
  I'm not sure how it's sustainable either. Sustainable via getting people to continue donating blankets and books?
- Kiro 13y ago
  Think bigger.
nperez 13y ago
My only advice is to provide socks too. Socks get gross and/or wet or hard if you can't easily wash them.. and they're not too expensive.
- rhizome 13y ago
  Absolutely. You can't do much with messed-up feet and body from dirty/wet/nonexistent socks and underwear. These discomforts strike to the core of basic human functioning.
- ja27 13y ago
  Funny. My son's Cub Scout pack worked with a local homeless group and the top requested things they packed in gift bags for them were cheap flashlights and tube socks. They use the socks for everything.
mrharrison 13y ago
The reason there are many homeless in SF, is because there are many shelters in the Tenderloin that provide these things you are talking about. Think you should first ask why are they homeless, not just give them random things. They are homeless either because, they have drug problems, psychological issues, or the least likely -- they have a problem getting employment.
- grumps 13y ago
  Amen. My fiance is a social worker and has been working with homeless for the past 5 years.
- nickthemagicman 13y ago
  It's kind of amazing how you can stereotype huge amounts of people in two sentences. And it's ALL THEIR FAULT. Not the economy, not the insane cost of higher education to gain job skills, not the outsourcing and automation of modern society. It's the homeless who are failures. That's why I propose Gladiator hobo fights to the death. Only the strongest hobo's survive. Make them earn their cheeseburgers like a good capitalist.
  - yid 13y ago
    Oh get off that pedestal. OP was talking about the Tenderloin. Have you ever walked through the Tenderloin? A large fraction of the homeless people there clearly have severe psychological or drug issues. They're not there because of the economy.
    - nickthemagicman 13y ago
      I AGREE! I'm sure every single person in the Tenderloin is there because they're just losers! That's why I'm proposing Bumfights. It could be an awesome startup. Pit them against each other Hunger Games style. Fuck those loser homeless.
      - yid 13y ago
pcloadletter 13y ago
It's a nice gesture, but it won't 'fix' homelessness. There are some homeless who will stay that way; you can see them roaming around in packs. And then there are the mentally ill; they need medications and structure. There's too much money to be made by the established people, so chances of fixing homelessness are negligible. It's a corrupt system.
- losf 13y ago
  I agree than the term "fixing homelessness" is probably not appropriate. As you said some homeless might want to stay homeless, and that is fine. But for the homeless who want to get out of homelessness, there should be a clear path to get back. That could start with basics (shelter, bathroom, medical and social help).
joshribakoff 13y ago
I've seen homeless people abuse entitlements (turn down jobs because they'd loose their handouts, etc.) On the other hand, some of them would get laughed at in an interview without being "cleaned up" to look presentable, which a hand out could help with.
nickthemagicman 13y ago
OP after reading all the comments in this thread, I've determined that your idea for mercy and compassion is a flawed concept and is not good capitalism. What you should do instead is turn your web site into a bumfights startup!!! Make them fight to the death hunger games style for tons of swag. The profit potential is huge, the homeless population will be decreased, AND the leftover hobos will have tons of good swag!
- optimusclimb 13y ago
  I don't have downvote power on here, but I think you should re-consider your comment - as it's snarky, doesn't add anything, and doesn't really follow the ethos of HN.
  - nickthemagicman 13y ago
    I'm really commited to start up culture! I think this a great idea.
- joshdotsmith 13y ago
  I also wish I could downvote you into oblivion. You're mischaracterizing others to an extreme, and in such poor taste.
  - nickthemagicman 13y ago
    I'm mischaracterizing ignorance? Mischaracterizing dehumanization of entire swathes of people with a simplistic black and white view of the world. It could be literally Hitler posting these comments. There's no taste too low for people like that no matter what side of the aisle you're on.
    - rhizome 13y ago
      By now, it's extremely difficult to figure out what your perspective is, much less any points you may be trying to make.
- 13y ago
rodrodrod 13y ago
Semi-related: I recently watched this video on $20 homeless backpack care kits (http://youtu.be/Y6fkyf9UGAE http://youtu.be/Y6fkyf9UGAE), thought it was a neat idea. Figured it might be useful for those looking for simple ways to help out a bit.
robbrown451 13y ago
It seems a bit like trying to fix the pigeon problem in the city by putting out pigeon food. The harsh reality is that the more accommodating to the homeless the city is, the more homeless there will be. I think there are solutions, and they can be compassionate, but simply making life easier for the homeless has long term drawbacks that are greater than the short term upsides.
- SeckinJohn 13y ago
  I agree that the goal shouldn't be making the life too easy for the homeless - instead I believe that we should focus on helping them re-integrate back to the society, at least for the ones that would like to. Homelessness is the main concern for resident of San Francisco according to recent polls, and it would be a shame if this stayed like this for another 10 years. With this campaign, we can start creating campaigns that are funded and lead by the citizens who are most passionate about solving this. Then, the idea that something like this could work would ideally propagate to other people that are more skeptic. We need to also note that we are already paying around $20 per month each on fixing homelessness in San Francisco through the government. The main difference is that with a crowdfunding platform, we would be the ones that are choosing which campaigns make sense and which activists we would like to support.
  - nickthemagicman 13y ago
    Making it 'easy' for the homeless? Lol you think basic fundamental survival goods like food and blankets are making it easy? Are you SERIOUS? Because I completely agree! You guys are absolutely right on. If you encourage homelessness EVERYONE will become one.
    - robbrown451 13y ago
      "Easy" is a relative term. The issue is whether you want to make it easier than it previously was.
      - omgtehblackbloc 13y ago
ChuckMcM 13y ago
I recall a time at a community meeting I advocated finding a way of providing a facility that could house and treat the addicted and mentally ill, I was accused of wanting to "sweep the homeless under the rug and forget about them." I knew it was a difficult problem I just didn't realize that the problem wasn't the homeless, the problem has roots in our collective understanding of what is a 'better' versus 'not better' quality of life. I have always held that it is one of the main purposes of government to maximize the quality of life for the governed. Whether they are rich, poor, sane, or insane. What I always find challenging is when someone chooses to define 'better' in a way that I cannot comprehend. I strongly recommend that anyone who wants to help here start by looking at what we had, in terms of laws and institutions, which gave the state the ability to hold someone and treat their illness, and restrict their movements, and why those institutions were abolished and laws changed. As a community we changed our position from it is 'better' to house these people and give them treatment, to it is 'better' that they live without constraints and someone trying to provide help they don't want. When a person says they would rather sleep on a bench than be given drugs that make them feel "bad" and be forced to live with other people who are similarly afflicted, which is better? Homelessness or being institutionalized? Why?
- robbrown451 13y ago
  You make interesting points. I do, however, think that it is the right of the governed to make rules against sleeping on benches, that they paid for with their tax dollars. Same goes for sidewalks, doorways, etc. I suppose you could say such rules are "restricting of movements" (in the broadest sense), but they seem reasonable restrictions to me. That said, I also think it is society's responsibility to provide another option.
  - ChuckMcM 13y ago
    That is a well understood argument for the common good. Which is that the vast majority of the citizens are served by available benches, not by occupied benches, (or other publicly supplied services) and so excluding people from sleeping on them makes sense in the context of the entire constituency. > That said, I also think it is society's responsibility > to provide another option. I don't think many would disagree, the challenge comes with deciding what exactly is that option? I am an engineer so I find I tend to come up with practical but socially inept solutions. At the time there was a discussion about how "we" (where we is the city of Sunnyvale) might use the Onizuka Air Force base facility (aka the 'Blue Cube') which was being decommissioned and turned over to the public sector for re-use. I was trying to figure out if there was a way we could convert part of that facility into what would essentially be caves, self heated concrete structures that were impervious to fire, contained internal pipes with a heat transfer fluid to maintain a livable temperature (cooling or warming), a dedicated latrine system that would periodically flush out all waste, and that were nominally "open" but could be enclosed with available materials. Something that people who were otherwise unwilling to live in a more traditional shelter/section 8 housing, might be able to survive in. This wasn't even a basic income kind of problem, these were people who are mentally non-functional adults. Was there any sort of place we could create that would make their lives better than it was today. They are an at risk group for whom it is very difficult these days to provide services for. It was wildly derided as putting these people on a 'reservation' or 'in pens' or any number of things. Like I said earlier, socially inept. I don't know have any good solutions.
jdkuepper 13y ago
I applaud efforts like these for at least doing something to address the problem, even if it doesn't turn out to be the most effective use of capital in the end as some suggest here. That said, I think some of the best projects fighting homelessness are supportive housing projects that help people get an apartment and provide additional services for medical/psychiatric treatments, food stamps, etc. [1] 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supportive_housing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supportive_housing
- llamataboot 13y ago
  Housing First has been shown to be fiscally prudent, generate good outcomes, as well as just being plain compassionate (of course we shouldn't base whether or not you have access to a home on whether or not you have a substance abuse issue). Salt Lake City has had some huge successes implementing it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_first https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_first http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=18984066 http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=18984066
11001 13y ago
Go out and talk to some social workers, figure out what tech could actually help with. This is just silly.
- SeckinJohn 13y ago
  I would love to talk with more social workers/activists/organizations working on this and similar issues. Please feel free to send an email to me at seckincansahin@gmail.com I have been iterating on this campaign for at least a month now according to feedback I have received from 50+ people in all walks of life, but I agree that there is still a huge room for improvement. And I would love to hear more about the campaigns that you think we could work on after this one.
  - dshanahan 13y ago
    I had a long coffee with HandUp's founder Rose Broome, who's done a boatload of legwork in this space (and just had Jason Calicanis ask to lead an investment round). Was intro'd to her product by a homeless guy in my hood and immediately had to know more. It's the first piece of tech that really wowed me with regards to making some headway on some of these issues - I'd highly encourage anyone who thinks about the space a lot to connect with her team. They're pretty responsive @handup on twitter.
  - CCs 13y ago
    http://streetlifeministries.org/ http://streetlifeministries.org/ is run by an ex-homeless (David), you can ask him.
habosa 13y ago
In many discussions like this I see the argument that some/most/all homeless people are drug addicts or mentally ill or otherwise not deserving of help. I have always been of the opinion that I don't care why someone is homeless, I would like to help them. There is nobody that deserves to live on the street in a nation with as much wealth as America, even if they've made bad decisions (drugs, alcohol, crime, etc.). I think it's our job as a society to put a roof over everyone's head to the best of our abilities, it's inhuman to pick and dodge among homeless people and go about our lives like it is normal. If I could solve any problem in my lifetime, it would be homelessness in America. I wish I had any idea where to start. I know it's not as noble of a cause as curing cancer or helping the needy who live in true poverty around the world, but it's something that's in my face every day and I think it's a failure of our modern society.
- JumpCrisscross 13y ago
  >In many discussions like this I see the argument that some/most/all homeless people are drug addicts or mentally ill or otherwise not deserving of help. I don't think the conclusion is drug addicts and the mentally ill don't deserve compassion. It is that trying to help the homeless while ignoring the drug and mental health issues is unlikely to be as productive as providing treatment options for the underlying causes.
- nickthemagicman 13y ago
  This could be a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_by_country http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_by_co...
  - habosa 13y ago
    Am I missing something? Are you suggesting that we put homeless people on an aircraft carrier? Or that we spend less on the military? Overall I'm confused by your response.
- rhizome 13y ago
  There is nobody that deserves to live on the street in a nation with as much wealth as America, even if they've made bad decisions (drugs, alcohol, crime, etc.). I'm not sure what you mean by, "even if," here. The Fundamental Attribution Error holds that it's a mistake to attribute someone's circumstances more to choices than to luck. There are tons of rich people who have chosen drugs, alcohol and crime, with extremely few, if any, turning up homeless as a result. There are also homeless who are not addicted nor incapacitatingly mentally ill (I'm sure we can agree that homelessness could predictably lead to depression at the very least). Likewise, the way economic policy in many capitalist countries is oriented toward maintaining certain levels of unemployment (full employment being seen as bad, weakening the negotiating power of business owners, etc.) ensures that homelessness and poverty are actual government policy. Your Tax Dollars At Work. Generally and socially, I contend that the problems of education and homelessness, in the US at least, are directly attributable to prioritizing commerce and the military over domestic care. Let's ask why a country with as much wealth as America deserves to engage in war, shall we?
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
losf 13y ago
Spending $200M/year on ~15,000 homeless, that's ~$1,000/month for each homeless. I don't think we need more money. We need to spend it better. Why not build public bathrooms ? That could be used by homeless and others (like people renting a bedroom w/o shower, poor, students, etc.). Actually that could be a way to reach homeless people, to provide them medical and social help. To integrate homeless to society you need to provide them the basics that they don't have (bathroom, shelter, laundry, food, medical and social help, and even bank account, internet, phone). Not all will grab the opportunity, but at least they will have a chance to.
nezumi 13y ago
I don't live in SF but I work for a Bay Area company and have often wondered, while waiting to get onto one of those shiny buses, why a city with such a high concentration of rich, smart people is failing its least fortunate residents so miserably and obviously. Why are the technological elite so helpless in the face of this problem on their own doorstep? Reading the comments here it seems that there is a massive gap in understanding, empathy and plain old data - are there no studies answering the questions being speculated on here? If you could find a way to address that gap of understanding - provide the technologists with data, and fully describe the constraints - perhaps there can be a useful discussion in the technology community.
- robbrown451 13y ago
  I think the mistake you are making is when you talk about it as failing "its least fortunate residents," without regard for the fact that those residents may only be there because of how well it does treat them.

45 points by SeckinJohn 13y ago

srameshc 13y ago

I think its a great idea.

gkoberger 13y ago

Very awesome. One thing I love about Watsi is that I can actually see (and pick) who I'm donating to. There's something cool about being able to read their stories and see their pictures -- it almost makes me feel bad going to the site and not donating. Good luck!

gkoberger 13y ago
Someone else mentioned this site, which is exactly what I was thinking: https://handup.us/ https://handup.us/

jpeg_hero 13y ago

How does this "fix homelessness in SF?" Same number of homeless but now they have blankets and books too?

vehementi 13y ago
I'm not sure how it's sustainable either. Sustainable via getting people to continue donating blankets and books?
Kiro 13y ago
Think bigger.

nperez 13y ago

My only advice is to provide socks too. Socks get gross and/or wet or hard if you can't easily wash them.. and they're not too expensive.

rhizome 13y ago
Absolutely. You can't do much with messed-up feet and body from dirty/wet/nonexistent socks and underwear. These discomforts strike to the core of basic human functioning.
ja27 13y ago
Funny. My son's Cub Scout pack worked with a local homeless group and the top requested things they packed in gift bags for them were cheap flashlights and tube socks. They use the socks for everything.

mrharrison 13y ago

The reason there are many homeless in SF, is because there are many shelters in the Tenderloin that provide these things you are talking about. Think you should first ask why are they homeless, not just give them random things. They are homeless either because, they have drug problems, psychological issues, or the least likely -- they have a problem getting employment.

grumps 13y ago
Amen. My fiance is a social worker and has been working with homeless for the past 5 years.
nickthemagicman 13y ago
It's kind of amazing how you can stereotype huge amounts of people in two sentences. And it's ALL THEIR FAULT. Not the economy, not the insane cost of higher education to gain job skills, not the outsourcing and automation of modern society. It's the homeless who are failures. That's why I propose Gladiator hobo fights to the death. Only the strongest hobo's survive. Make them earn their cheeseburgers like a good capitalist.
- yid 13y ago
  Oh get off that pedestal. OP was talking about the Tenderloin. Have you ever walked through the Tenderloin? A large fraction of the homeless people there clearly have severe psychological or drug issues. They're not there because of the economy.
  - nickthemagicman 13y ago
    I AGREE! I'm sure every single person in the Tenderloin is there because they're just losers! That's why I'm proposing Bumfights. It could be an awesome startup. Pit them against each other Hunger Games style. Fuck those loser homeless.
    - yid 13y ago

pcloadletter 13y ago

It's a nice gesture, but it won't 'fix' homelessness. There are some homeless who will stay that way; you can see them roaming around in packs. And then there are the mentally ill; they need medications and structure. There's too much money to be made by the established people, so chances of fixing homelessness are negligible. It's a corrupt system.

losf 13y ago
I agree than the term "fixing homelessness" is probably not appropriate. As you said some homeless might want to stay homeless, and that is fine. But for the homeless who want to get out of homelessness, there should be a clear path to get back. That could start with basics (shelter, bathroom, medical and social help).

joshribakoff 13y ago

I've seen homeless people abuse entitlements (turn down jobs because they'd loose their handouts, etc.) On the other hand, some of them would get laughed at in an interview without being "cleaned up" to look presentable, which a hand out could help with.

nickthemagicman 13y ago

OP after reading all the comments in this thread, I've determined that your idea for mercy and compassion is a flawed concept and is not good capitalism. What you should do instead is turn your web site into a bumfights startup!!! Make them fight to the death hunger games style for tons of swag. The profit potential is huge, the homeless population will be decreased, AND the leftover hobos will have tons of good swag!

optimusclimb 13y ago
I don't have downvote power on here, but I think you should re-consider your comment - as it's snarky, doesn't add anything, and doesn't really follow the ethos of HN.
- nickthemagicman 13y ago
  I'm really commited to start up culture! I think this a great idea.
joshdotsmith 13y ago
I also wish I could downvote you into oblivion. You're mischaracterizing others to an extreme, and in such poor taste.
- nickthemagicman 13y ago
  I'm mischaracterizing ignorance? Mischaracterizing dehumanization of entire swathes of people with a simplistic black and white view of the world. It could be literally Hitler posting these comments. There's no taste too low for people like that no matter what side of the aisle you're on.
  - rhizome 13y ago
    By now, it's extremely difficult to figure out what your perspective is, much less any points you may be trying to make.
13y ago

rodrodrod 13y ago

Semi-related: I recently watched this video on $20 homeless backpack care kits (http://youtu.be/Y6fkyf9UGAE http://youtu.be/Y6fkyf9UGAE), thought it was a neat idea. Figured it might be useful for those looking for simple ways to help out a bit.

robbrown451 13y ago

It seems a bit like trying to fix the pigeon problem in the city by putting out pigeon food. The harsh reality is that the more accommodating to the homeless the city is, the more homeless there will be. I think there are solutions, and they can be compassionate, but simply making life easier for the homeless has long term drawbacks that are greater than the short term upsides.

SeckinJohn 13y ago
I agree that the goal shouldn't be making the life too easy for the homeless - instead I believe that we should focus on helping them re-integrate back to the society, at least for the ones that would like to. Homelessness is the main concern for resident of San Francisco according to recent polls, and it would be a shame if this stayed like this for another 10 years. With this campaign, we can start creating campaigns that are funded and lead by the citizens who are most passionate about solving this. Then, the idea that something like this could work would ideally propagate to other people that are more skeptic. We need to also note that we are already paying around $20 per month each on fixing homelessness in San Francisco through the government. The main difference is that with a crowdfunding platform, we would be the ones that are choosing which campaigns make sense and which activists we would like to support.
- nickthemagicman 13y ago
  Making it 'easy' for the homeless? Lol you think basic fundamental survival goods like food and blankets are making it easy? Are you SERIOUS? Because I completely agree! You guys are absolutely right on. If you encourage homelessness EVERYONE will become one.
  - robbrown451 13y ago
    "Easy" is a relative term. The issue is whether you want to make it easier than it previously was.
    - omgtehblackbloc 13y ago

ChuckMcM 13y ago

I recall a time at a community meeting I advocated finding a way of providing a facility that could house and treat the addicted and mentally ill, I was accused of wanting to "sweep the homeless under the rug and forget about them." I knew it was a difficult problem I just didn't realize that the problem wasn't the homeless, the problem has roots in our collective understanding of what is a 'better' versus 'not better' quality of life. I have always held that it is one of the main purposes of government to maximize the quality of life for the governed. Whether they are rich, poor, sane, or insane. What I always find challenging is when someone chooses to define 'better' in a way that I cannot comprehend. I strongly recommend that anyone who wants to help here start by looking at what we had, in terms of laws and institutions, which gave the state the ability to hold someone and treat their illness, and restrict their movements, and why those institutions were abolished and laws changed. As a community we changed our position from it is 'better' to house these people and give them treatment, to it is 'better' that they live without constraints and someone trying to provide help they don't want. When a person says they would rather sleep on a bench than be given drugs that make them feel "bad" and be forced to live with other people who are similarly afflicted, which is better? Homelessness or being institutionalized? Why?

robbrown451 13y ago
You make interesting points. I do, however, think that it is the right of the governed to make rules against sleeping on benches, that they paid for with their tax dollars. Same goes for sidewalks, doorways, etc. I suppose you could say such rules are "restricting of movements" (in the broadest sense), but they seem reasonable restrictions to me. That said, I also think it is society's responsibility to provide another option.
- ChuckMcM 13y ago
  That is a well understood argument for the common good. Which is that the vast majority of the citizens are served by available benches, not by occupied benches, (or other publicly supplied services) and so excluding people from sleeping on them makes sense in the context of the entire constituency. > That said, I also think it is society's responsibility > to provide another option. I don't think many would disagree, the challenge comes with deciding what exactly is that option? I am an engineer so I find I tend to come up with practical but socially inept solutions. At the time there was a discussion about how "we" (where we is the city of Sunnyvale) might use the Onizuka Air Force base facility (aka the 'Blue Cube') which was being decommissioned and turned over to the public sector for re-use. I was trying to figure out if there was a way we could convert part of that facility into what would essentially be caves, self heated concrete structures that were impervious to fire, contained internal pipes with a heat transfer fluid to maintain a livable temperature (cooling or warming), a dedicated latrine system that would periodically flush out all waste, and that were nominally "open" but could be enclosed with available materials. Something that people who were otherwise unwilling to live in a more traditional shelter/section 8 housing, might be able to survive in. This wasn't even a basic income kind of problem, these were people who are mentally non-functional adults. Was there any sort of place we could create that would make their lives better than it was today. They are an at risk group for whom it is very difficult these days to provide services for. It was wildly derided as putting these people on a 'reservation' or 'in pens' or any number of things. Like I said earlier, socially inept. I don't know have any good solutions.

jdkuepper 13y ago

I applaud efforts like these for at least doing something to address the problem, even if it doesn't turn out to be the most effective use of capital in the end as some suggest here. That said, I think some of the best projects fighting homelessness are supportive housing projects that help people get an apartment and provide additional services for medical/psychiatric treatments, food stamps, etc. [1] 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supportive_housing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supportive_housing

llamataboot 13y ago
Housing First has been shown to be fiscally prudent, generate good outcomes, as well as just being plain compassionate (of course we shouldn't base whether or not you have access to a home on whether or not you have a substance abuse issue). Salt Lake City has had some huge successes implementing it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_first https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_first http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=18984066 http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=18984066

11001 13y ago

Go out and talk to some social workers, figure out what tech could actually help with. This is just silly.

SeckinJohn 13y ago
I would love to talk with more social workers/activists/organizations working on this and similar issues. Please feel free to send an email to me at seckincansahin@gmail.com I have been iterating on this campaign for at least a month now according to feedback I have received from 50+ people in all walks of life, but I agree that there is still a huge room for improvement. And I would love to hear more about the campaigns that you think we could work on after this one.
- dshanahan 13y ago
  I had a long coffee with HandUp's founder Rose Broome, who's done a boatload of legwork in this space (and just had Jason Calicanis ask to lead an investment round). Was intro'd to her product by a homeless guy in my hood and immediately had to know more. It's the first piece of tech that really wowed me with regards to making some headway on some of these issues - I'd highly encourage anyone who thinks about the space a lot to connect with her team. They're pretty responsive @handup on twitter.
- CCs 13y ago
  http://streetlifeministries.org/ http://streetlifeministries.org/ is run by an ex-homeless (David), you can ask him.

habosa 13y ago

In many discussions like this I see the argument that some/most/all homeless people are drug addicts or mentally ill or otherwise not deserving of help. I have always been of the opinion that I don't care why someone is homeless, I would like to help them. There is nobody that deserves to live on the street in a nation with as much wealth as America, even if they've made bad decisions (drugs, alcohol, crime, etc.). I think it's our job as a society to put a roof over everyone's head to the best of our abilities, it's inhuman to pick and dodge among homeless people and go about our lives like it is normal. If I could solve any problem in my lifetime, it would be homelessness in America. I wish I had any idea where to start. I know it's not as noble of a cause as curing cancer or helping the needy who live in true poverty around the world, but it's something that's in my face every day and I think it's a failure of our modern society.

JumpCrisscross 13y ago
>In many discussions like this I see the argument that some/most/all homeless people are drug addicts or mentally ill or otherwise not deserving of help. I don't think the conclusion is drug addicts and the mentally ill don't deserve compassion. It is that trying to help the homeless while ignoring the drug and mental health issues is unlikely to be as productive as providing treatment options for the underlying causes.
nickthemagicman 13y ago
This could be a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_by_country http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_by_co...
- habosa 13y ago
  Am I missing something? Are you suggesting that we put homeless people on an aircraft carrier? Or that we spend less on the military? Overall I'm confused by your response.
rhizome 13y ago
There is nobody that deserves to live on the street in a nation with as much wealth as America, even if they've made bad decisions (drugs, alcohol, crime, etc.). I'm not sure what you mean by, "even if," here. The Fundamental Attribution Error holds that it's a mistake to attribute someone's circumstances more to choices than to luck. There are tons of rich people who have chosen drugs, alcohol and crime, with extremely few, if any, turning up homeless as a result. There are also homeless who are not addicted nor incapacitatingly mentally ill (I'm sure we can agree that homelessness could predictably lead to depression at the very least). Likewise, the way economic policy in many capitalist countries is oriented toward maintaining certain levels of unemployment (full employment being seen as bad, weakening the negotiating power of business owners, etc.) ensures that homelessness and poverty are actual government policy. Your Tax Dollars At Work. Generally and socially, I contend that the problems of education and homelessness, in the US at least, are directly attributable to prioritizing commerce and the military over domestic care. Let's ask why a country with as much wealth as America deserves to engage in war, shall we?

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losf 13y ago

Spending $200M/year on ~15,000 homeless, that's ~$1,000/month for each homeless. I don't think we need more money. We need to spend it better. Why not build public bathrooms ? That could be used by homeless and others (like people renting a bedroom w/o shower, poor, students, etc.). Actually that could be a way to reach homeless people, to provide them medical and social help. To integrate homeless to society you need to provide them the basics that they don't have (bathroom, shelter, laundry, food, medical and social help, and even bank account, internet, phone). Not all will grab the opportunity, but at least they will have a chance to.

nezumi 13y ago

I don't live in SF but I work for a Bay Area company and have often wondered, while waiting to get onto one of those shiny buses, why a city with such a high concentration of rich, smart people is failing its least fortunate residents so miserably and obviously. Why are the technological elite so helpless in the face of this problem on their own doorstep? Reading the comments here it seems that there is a massive gap in understanding, empathy and plain old data - are there no studies answering the questions being speculated on here? If you could find a way to address that gap of understanding - provide the technologists with data, and fully describe the constraints - perhaps there can be a useful discussion in the technology community.

robbrown451 13y ago
I think the mistake you are making is when you talk about it as failing "its least fortunate residents," without regard for the fact that those residents may only be there because of how well it does treat them.