User:Austinnb/sandbox

There are approximately 7,500 homeless people living in San Francisco. Due to high housing costs that have seen a rise since the mid-70’s, a significant portion of the homeless find residence in Golden Gate Park. Around 40 to 200 of these 7,000 people reside in the park. . Around half of the homeless population in Golden Gate Park are short-term residents that leave after a certain amount of time, and the other half are more long-term residents. Short-term residents tend to be younger, while permanent residents tend to be older, military veterans. Most of the homeless population is male. It is estimated that around 60% of the population may have a mental disability. However, it is hard to gather data about the population due to a variable population. Living in Golden Gate Park is discouraged by the city of San Francisco, with no-sleeping and anti-lodging laws being put in place.

The city government of San Francisco has attempted to establish various outreach programs in order to help the homeless population. According to the city’s government, “current outreach efforts to inform park dwellers about support services are limited, and efforts that do take place are not documented in a way that makes it possible to analyze their efficiency or success”. The Community Housing Partnership's program "Transitional Age Youth Housing" is available for younger homeless individuals, but it is not enough because of limited resources available. Overall, however, San Francisco has shifted its focus of emergency shelters to neighborhood support systems.