This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

San Francisco:

— The Tent Cities of San Francisco — Daniel Duane | For The New York Times

"SAN FRANCISCO — California may be the new capital of American liberalism, but everybody who likes the sound of that ought to consider the fate of three recent San Francisco ballot initiatives.

"The first, Proposition Q, aimed to eliminate homeless people's unsightly tent camps by banning sidewalk tents and empowering the police to confiscate them with 24 hours notice so long as occupants were offered beds in shelters. San Francisco has only 1,203 emergency adult shelter beds, for a homeless population of 6,700, but a second initiative, Proposition J, promised to ease that shortfall by earmarking $50 million a year from a small sales-tax increase, proposed in a third initiative, Proposition K.

"In an exquisite illustration of California's core political neurosis — the tension between our attachment to the pretty view and our desire to care for the least among us without personal inconvenience, even as our population and economy explode — we San Franciscans voted yes on Q and J, and no on K. The people spoke, in other words, and we said, 'Get rid of those filthy tents and set aside heaps of money to make sure it's done in a compassionate way so I don't have to feel guilty, but don't squeeze me for a dime.'..."

Los Angeles:

— How L.A. is housing thousands of homeless long before Proposition HHH units get built — Doug Smith | The Los Angeles Times

"New homeless housing to be built using the $1.2-billion bond Los Angeles city voters approved in November may be three to five years in the future.

"In the meantime, a program created by Mitchell H. Katz, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, is striving to get thousands of the most debilitated homeless people off the streets sooner. ..."

Colorado:

— Denver Police Confiscate Blankets From Homeless — Emily Ray | Paste

"Shame on the Denver Police Officers who took blankets and tents into evidence after confiscating them from homeless people camped outside in temperatures which will dip into negative numbers this week. Criminalizing homeless individuals is not only cruel and abusive, it is counterproductive and unconstitutional. ..."

— Homeless, outside in the cold, an alarming and complex problem — Colorado Springs Gazette Editorial

" ... Gazette reporter Jakob Rodgers asked homeless residents why they won't seek shelter:

"- A 57-year-old man said shelters remind him of prison.

"- A man said shelter staff members wake him too early in the morning.

"- A woman said she fears other shelter residents will steal from her. ...

" ... The phenomenon highlights what people who work with the homeless learn early in their careers: Homelessness is a complex problem, involving far more than a lack of shelter. In the mix are substance abuse, mental illness and the longing for freedom among people who gave up on an economy and culture that left them behind. ..."

Texas:

— Amarillo needs facts to help homeless — Amarillo Globe-News Editorial

Rome:

— Pope celebrates his birthday with the homeless — AP / USA Today

"Pope Francis celebrated an active if low-key 80th birthday on Saturday, sharing breakfast with eight homeless people before celebrating Mass with cardinals as greetings flowed in from around the world.

"The pope chatted individually with each of the homeless guests- four Italians, two Romanians, a Moldovan and a Peruvian - at the Vatican hotel where he resides, and shared Argentinian cakes with them before heading to Mass, the Vatican said.

"The guests offered the pope a bouquet of sunflowers. They were invited from among those staying around St. Peter's Square and at nearby showers for the homeless established by the pope's almsgiver. ..."

London:

— Thousands left homeless by shortage of legal aid lawyers, say charities — Owen Bowcott | The Guardian

"Thousands of people are being made homeless every year because they cannot find lawyers to help them resist eviction, charities are warning.

"Even though legal aid is available to help anyone in danger of losing their home, there has been an 18% decline in the number of challenges brought, at a time of record repossessions in the private rental market. ..."

And, oh, yes, Salt Lake City:

— City: Forget Rio Grande Street homeless chaos — new shelters model will avoid pitfalls — Christopher Smart | The Salt Lake Tribune

"To understand the new model for homeless shelters coming to Salt Lake City, you have to wipe clean the image of the chaos on Rio Grande Street downtown surrounding The Road Home.

"At least that's the message from city and county leaders, who last week announced the sites of four future 150-bed homeless shelters/resource centers in the capital city.

"The news provoked outrage from many residents in the Sugar House area near 653 E. Simpson Ave. (2300 South), where one of the resource centers is planned. Neighbors picture the danger and drug dealing on Rio Grande moving into their neighborhoods.

"But city and Salt Lake County officials are quick to point to the YWCA shelter at 322 E. 300 South that houses up to 200 women and children. Casual passers-by don't recognize it as a shelter. There aren't any miscreants hanging about, it blends seamlessly into its surroundings and property values are said to be increasing. ..."

— Homeless centers are the start of better solution — Ted Wilson and Palmer DePaulis | For The Salt Lake Tribune

" ... To be clear, the Road Home in the Rio Grande district has done incredible and humane work for decades. But a tough economic recession, skyrocketing rents, evaporating housing inventory and social ills like the nation's opioid abuse epidemic have combined to make creative thinking and longer-term approaches to homelessness imperative. We need more than additional bed space in another warehouse. It is time for a new model; a model that creates hope, opportunity and stability for men, women and families. ..."

— Without more crime control, homeless plan is a fantasy — George Chapman | For The Salt Lake Tribune