Overwhelmed with out of towner homeless, SF considers residence requirement for aid

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/20/MNDQ14RGKL.DTL

S.F. blames out-of-towners for endless homeless problem
C.W. Nevius

Saturday, December 20, 2008

City officials are finally admitting what others have been saying for years: San Francisco is attracting huge numbers of homeless people from all over. Thousands of transient people, arriving from other counties, states and even countries, are overwhelming the city's homeless system.

Facing a crippling budget shortfall, officials at San Francisco's homeless agencies are proposing a radical idea - take care of the city's own first, and require newcomers to show proof of residency for aid.

"If a homeless family living in San Francisco doesn't get shelter, and somebody just off the bus does, it doesn't seem fair," said Trent Rhorer, director of the Department of Human Services.

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The problem, Kayhan says, is that San Francisco has become a clearinghouse for other cities and states.

"People are coming from all over," Kayhan said. "I am seeing it firsthand. I often hear that this city or that city's homeless plan is a bus ticket to San Francisco."