The hottest Homelessness Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Why does America feel worse than other countries? Crime.

Noahpinion • 48177 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. The U.S. stands out among rich countries for its very high violent-crime and murder rates and for visible public disorder that people notice every day.
  2. Progressive ideas and policies—like decarceration, tolerance of disorder, and softer prosecutorial approaches—often suppress serious public debate about crime and may have contributed to higher crime in some places.
  3. High crime reshapes American life: it pushes people into suburbs, keeps riders off trains, blocks housing and transit projects, and broadly lowers urban quality of life.

America and Public Disorder

Chris Arnade Walks the World • 17162 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Homelessness
  1. Public spaces across the U.S. are increasingly filled with visible mental illness, addiction, and antisocial behavior, making streets and transit feel dirty, unsafe, and chaotic.
  2. That disorder prevents the kind of dense, vibrant public life seen elsewhere, so cities build austere, ‘asshole‑proof’ infrastructure and people retreat to isolated suburbs.
  3. The humane and practical solution proposed is mandatory treatment and stricter enforcement for the severely ill or addicted, redirecting existing resources into involuntary care, detox, and secure programs to protect both individuals and the public.

Crime As Proxy For Disorder

Astral Codex Ten • 18927 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Homelessness
  1. People often complain about “crime” when they really mean visible disorder like litter, graffiti, shoplifting, tent encampments, and loud boom boxes, and that conflation helps explain why many feel crime is getting worse even though overall crime is low.
  2. The hard data are mixed and locally varied: litter seems down, graffiti is unclear, shoplifting is modestly higher than its lows but below 1990s levels, and homelessness and encampments rose around 2020 but are hard to measure consistently.
  3. There are several reasons people might perceive a rise in disorder — a 2020 bump, comparing today to an unusually peaceful mid-20th-century low, or simply different historical kinds of squalor — so it’s more useful to focus on specific, local evidence than on blanket claims that society is collapsing.

What Happened To SF Homelessness?

Astral Codex Ten • 24708 implied HN points • 12 Nov 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. There was a significant drop in tent encampments in San Francisco due to court rulings that made it easier to clear them, leading many homeless individuals to live without visible shelter.
  2. Overall homelessness may have slightly decreased, possibly due to falling rents, making it easier for the homeless to find temporary housing with friends or family.
  3. The current mayor's policies likely didn't play a major role in this change, as the larger trends affecting homelessness were seen across California, not just in San Francisco.

Meditations On A Delivery Robot Steering To Avoid A Homeless Man On The Sidewalk

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1825 implied HN points • 03 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Homelessness
  1. A robot steering around a person on the sidewalk shows how normal people and systems have become indifferent to the suffering of the most vulnerable.
  2. Automation and tech are being used to replace workers and boost corporate profits instead of ending poverty or solving bigger human and environmental problems.
  3. The scene reveals that societal priorities favor trivial, profit-driven convenience over real care and justice, acting as a stark mirror of a broader moral and political failure.
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I’m a Psychiatrist. And I Support Trump’s Plan for Helping the Mentally Ill.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 881 implied HN points • 11 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. Homeless people with severe mental illness are a major issue, with nearly one in five suffering from serious conditions like schizophrenia. This situation is urgent and needs attention.
  2. Trump's new executive order aims to make it easier to give psychiatric care to homeless individuals who are severely mentally ill. This could lead to more resources for helping these vulnerable people.
  3. If the plan works, it might change how we approach mental health treatment for the homeless, but it needs support from the courts and local governments to be successful.

Abigail Shrier: Stop Asking Kids If They’re Depressed

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 779 implied HN points • 12 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. Asking kids if they are depressed can lead them to believe they are when they might not be. It’s important to be careful with the questions we ask children about their mental health.
  2. Many children might be incorrectly diagnosed with depression, leading to a lot of unnecessary worry. This can happen when they are put in situations where they are questioned about their feelings repeatedly.
  3. The approach to mental health assessments for kids is changing, and some policies may encourage kids to see themselves as sick even if they aren’t. It's crucial to think about how these practices affect their well-being.

COVID Helped Start California's Decline, And Gavin Newsom Is Making Sure It Continues

Unmasked • 48 implied HN points • 29 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. Gavin Newsom is being treated as the leading Democratic candidate for 2028 even though many view his record as governor as a series of failures.
  2. California is slipping — seeing population decline while states like Florida and Texas grow, and facing high costs of living, homelessness, budget shortfalls, wildfires, and expensive, uncompleted projects like high-speed rail.
  3. Many blame California's strict COVID-era policies—long lockdowns, mask mandates, school closures, and business crackdowns—for authoritarian overreach and for helping trigger or accelerate the state's decline.

The Empire Burns The Middle East While US Homelessness Surges

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1937 implied HN points • 30 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. The situation in the Middle East is tense, with reports of violence and destruction affecting local hospitals and communities.
  2. US homelessness is on the rise, with a significant increase highlighting social and economic issues at home.
  3. There's a concern that the US government focuses on foreign issues while neglecting serious problems like poverty and homelessness in its own country.

What I read this week...

chamathreads • 1257 implied HN points • 02 Jun 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. Solar power is set to surpass oil production investments for the first time, according to IEA.
  2. Surgeon General warns about the impact of social media on youth's mental health.
  3. California's $17 billion spending on homelessness has not been effective.

How "YMCA" explains the homelessness crisis

Urben Field Notes • 124 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. Single-room occupancy hotels were once a widespread, low-cost housing option that housed many different people with small private rooms and shared facilities.
  2. Policy choices—like zoning bans, urban renewal demolitions, and incentives to convert SROs—destroyed millions of these units and removed the cheapest rung of the housing ladder, helping create the modern homelessness crisis.
  3. There is renewed interest in rebuilding SRO-style housing through office conversions, co-living, and new laws, but these models need strong safeguards to avoid unsafe or exploitative conditions.

The Cruel Irrationality of Our ‘Deserved vs. Undeserved Poor’ Moral Framework in Two Paragraphs

The Column • 1081 implied HN points • 25 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. America's moral framework divides poor into 'deserved' and 'undeserved,' hindering solutions like giving homes to the homeless.
  2. Means-testing and moral judgments in welfare create unnecessary bureaucracy and obstacles for those in need.
  3. The concept of 'deserved vs. undeserved' poor is rooted in history, aimed at keeping wages low and maintaining a population in poverty.

The Supreme Court Will Decide if Homelessness is a Crime

The New Urban Order • 179 implied HN points • 15 Apr 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide on whether homelessness can be considered a crime, impacting how cities handle homeless individuals.
  2. Many cities fail to provide the necessary housing and services to keep people off the streets, leading to homelessness being criminalized.
  3. Jailing homeless individuals further exacerbates their situation, making it harder for them to transition out of homelessness.

The Woes of Oakland: Homelessness

The Discourse Lounge • 1595 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. Oakland's homelessness crisis is a result of underproduction of housing compared to job growth in the region.
  2. Crime in Oakland is influenced by factors like homicide, organized criminal groups, reckless drivers, and homelessness.
  3. Oakland struggles to address homelessness due to financial constraints, dependency on neighboring cities, and lack of resources.

Since my 2019 visit to Community First! Village, Austin's model for housing the chronically homeless has grown and flourished

Gotham by Susan Dyer Reynolds • 216 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. Community First! Village in Austin provides housing and support for chronically homeless individuals.
  2. Residents at the village have opportunities for employment through farming, art, and auto mechanic workshops.
  3. The village operates on principles of accountability, requiring rent payment and adherence to community rules.

Pundits scold us for fretting about crime/drugs/homeless in San Francisco

C.W.’s Newsletter • 235 implied HN points • 15 Apr 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. People are scolded for worrying about crime, drugs, and homelessness in San Francisco, with claims that things are actually fine.
  2. Despite official statements that crime is down and manageable, the city is facing a crisis with issues like fentanyl dealing and human trafficking.
  3. There is a growing sense of individuals feeling they are on their own in dealing with problems due to a lack of city governance and public order.

A Brief History of "Homeless"

Mental Disorder • 216 implied HN points • 22 Jun 23
💾 History Homelessness
  1. The term 'homeless' is imprecise and can refer to various living conditions and situations.
  2. The language used to describe homelessness has evolved over time, from terms like 'hobo' to 'bum' to 'the homeless.'
  3. The rebranding of homelessness as a policy issue has led to significant funding for housing first policies and a shift towards more politically correct terms.

The Pelosi Attack

Diane Francis • 579 implied HN points • 07 Nov 22
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. The attack on Paul Pelosi highlighted serious social issues in America, like rising homelessness and mental illness. Many people affected by these problems can often go unnoticed and unaddressed.
  2. Political leaders used the incident to push their agendas without really discussing the root causes of the attack. Both sides missed the chance to focus on the real social issues at stake.
  3. Homelessness and untreated mental illness are growing problems in big cities, and there aren't enough resources to help everyone in need. This shows a failure in the system that needs urgent attention.

Colleague on Jennifer Friedenbach: 'She doesn’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg'

Gotham by Susan Dyer Reynolds • 196 implied HN points • 07 Aug 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. Jennifer Friedenbach is the executive director of Coalition on Homelessness and has faced criticism for her lack of qualifications and questionable financial decisions.
  2. The Coalition on Homelessness lacks transparency in their financial reports, with questionable classification of expenses and no clear demonstration of results.
  3. Friedenbach's involvement in conflicts of interest, such as granting her own nonprofit a large grant from an oversight committee she chairs, raises concerns about ethical practices in addressing homelessness issues.

Why the homeless debate goes in circles

C.W.’s Newsletter • 157 implied HN points • 06 Oct 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. The homeless debate involves conflicting perspectives from people like Adam Mesnick and Jennifer Friedenbach.
  2. Jennifer Friedenbach advocates for more government funding to address homelessness, focusing on long-term solutions.
  3. A realistic solution to homelessness could involve expanding and improving shelter systems to provide immediate support.

We use our garbage police to police homeless people

Worcester Sucks and I Love It • 58 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. The Quality of Life Team, also known as the Garbage Police, is used to police homeless people, showing a concerning and widely misunderstood approach by the city council.
  2. The Garbage Police focus on removing homeless encampments, treating homeless individuals as a blight rather than addressing the actual root causes of homelessness.
  3. There is a lack of political will to address homelessness and public housing conditions, with significant implications for larger societal issues around housing and equity.

SF can take tents off the street now

C.W.’s Newsletter • 117 implied HN points • 13 Sep 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. San Francisco may have the legal ability to remove tent encampments from the streets if occupants are offered housing and decline.
  2. This could potentially improve the city's streets by reducing homelessness and disorder.
  3. Legal hurdles and ensuring there are enough shelter beds are key challenges in implementing this potential change.

Untreated

KERFUFFLE • 97 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. The current state of mental health care in the U.S. struggles to address serious mental illnesses. Many people with severe issues end up homeless due to insufficient treatment options.
  2. Getting someone into a supportive psychiatric facility requires proving that they're a risk to themselves or others, which is a tough standard. This makes it hard to get help for many who desperately need it.
  3. After hospital care, many individuals are released back to the streets without proper long-term plans. This shows a systemic failure to manage mental health properly and protect the community.

Preventing Homelessness

Speak Up • 58 implied HN points • 03 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Homelessness
  1. Homelessness can be caused by various factors like drug addiction, mental illness, and poverty.
  2. Preventing homelessness should start with teaching children essential life skills and resilience.
  3. Even in tough situations like dealing with addiction or mental illness, it's important to never stop showing love and support.

Who Is My Neighbor?

Investing 101 • 69 implied HN points • 01 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness
  1. People in some cities are against helping the homeless, especially when it comes to providing shelters during freezing temperatures. This fear and backlash show a real struggle between compassion and community concerns.
  2. It's important to remember that helping others, like the homeless, is a matter of humanity and kindness, not politics or religion. Loving your neighbor is crucial, regardless of beliefs.
  3. We should focus on doing good and helping others instead of just worrying about our safety or property values. Supporting organizations that help the homeless is one way to make a positive impact.

Trying to Do Right: Part 2

Speak Up • 39 implied HN points • 02 Nov 23
🎭️ Culture Homelessness
  1. Being homeless is not easy, especially with additional challenges like federal probation.
  2. Living on the streets exposes one to various hardships and dangers.
  3. Despite the difficulties, there are moments of support and solidarity found even within the homeless community.