How California Can House 35,000 Homeless People, End Chronic Homelessness, and Save a Billion Dollars

Last week I encountered a man “panhandling” in downtown Berkeley. His sign read “please help”, but he wasn’t really asking for money. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the sidewalk, gyrating wildly from side-to-side. His hair was unkempt and his clothes were ragged. His mouth and jaw were hinging and grinding uncontrollably. His words and grunts were mostly indiscernible.

A few yards after passing him, I looked back. From a distance, I could see that an invisible barrier had formed around him. As people rushed by on the busy sidewalk, no one would get closer than 10 feet. There was no eye contact. No one stopped or asked what he needed. I felt angry and sad and powerless. As tears started pooling in my eyes, I turned around and just kept walking.

For millions of Californians, this is a regular experience. We are surrounded by profoundly vulnerable human beings suffering and dying on our streets. No one is “pro-homelessness”, yet for some reason, the problem keeps getting worse.

The Modern Homelessness Crisis

Despite being home to 12% of the nation’s population, California now has over 25% of its homeless. Close to 66% of those people are unsheltered, meaning they live in…