SFist: We’ve Been Talking About Homelessness Like It’s New And Like It’s The ‘Worst Ever’ For 30 Years
June 28,2016
“The annual homeless crisis came to San Francisco early this year,” the Chronicle’s Abe Mellinkoff wrote on October 16th, 1986. “Usually we don’t hear much about it until the weather really turns cold. It’s so much easier to feel for those without homes when we are snug inside while winter’s winds are blowing at the door.”
Mellinkoff, who joined the Chronicle in 1935 and died in 1992, was familiar with San Francisco’s seasons and news cycles. “This latest outburst of homelessmania revealed that our town, like others across the country, is stumped by this social disease. The basic problem is that nobody can agree on who is involved and how many there are. The latest local figures range from an official low of about 5,000 to a maximum double that, according to some social activists. To be safe, give or take a few thousand at either end of the scale.” Click here for the full article.