A New Director, That's the Answer

Shireen McSpadden (Chron photo)

Shireen McSpadden is the latest person tasked with solving San Francisco's homelessness problem: [bold added]

Mayor London Breed announced Thursday that Shireen McSpadden, the current executive director of the Department of Disability and Aging Services, will take over May 1 and oversee a department with around $600 million in funding to help the city’s more than 8,000 homeless people.

My calculator shows that $600,000,000 ➗ 8,000 = $75,000 per homeless person per year.

Real-estate website Zumper says that, as of April 9, 2021, a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco rents for $2,600, which is $31,200 annually. If the $75,000 were spent directly on a homeless person, there would seem to be ample room for not only shelter but food, clothing, and medical care.

In SF the cops advise homeless people
not to leave but to keep a safe distance

Despite the immense sum being spent, your humble blogger is 100% certain that no progress will be made in reducing the numbers of the homeless in--let's set a target--three years. That's a very safe prediction, based on the City's record of spending ever-greater amounts on an ever-increasing homeless population.

I hope I'm wrong, and good luck to Ms. McSpadden, whom I hope negotiated a good severance package going in.