# What happened to NYC's homeless population? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 13, 2006, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303 "2006-07-13T06:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/21 "2006-07-13T20:14:43Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] I was going to respond with some flip answer about the potential but not proven mole people, and then I stumbled over this picture of the kind of [atrocity](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:NYC_Subway.jpg) I was shocked to see with my own eyes the other week, and I couldn’t go on. Weep with me over Our Fair City and what it has come to. [/QUOTE] WTF are we supposed to be looking at? I see a subway sign, people walking, etc. Normal day in just about any city in North America. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/22 "2006-07-13T20:31:27Z")
[QUOTE=BMalion] Don’t they all live underground in old Subway tunnells with a vast complex secret society? And don’t they hold elaborate rituals and have a very complicated caste system with kings and armies and priests? and trained alligators? [/QUOTE] No, you’re confusing the homeless with SDMB moderators. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/23 "2006-07-13T20:33:58Z")
[QUOTE=ExTank] WTF are we supposed to be looking at? I see a subway sign, people walking, etc. Normal day in just about any city in North America. [/QUOTE] OK, so it’s not just me… ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/24 "2006-07-13T20:37:03Z")
[QUOTE=SnakesCatLady] Honolulu did exactly that while I lived there. If you were homeless in Honolulu and had a place to go on the mainland, the state would buy you a one-way ticket there. There were a LOT of homeless people in Honolulu - there was actually a “tent city” in one of the parks. I don’t know how many took them up on the ticket offer. [/QUOTE] Utah County (home of Provo, etc.) had a policy similar to this. The police would pick up a homeless person and…simply drop them off at the county line. Helps keep the vagrancy stats down. ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/25 "2006-07-13T20:40:10Z")
[QUOTE=ExTank] WTF are we supposed to be looking at? I see a subway sign, people walking, etc. Normal day in just about any city in North America. [/QUOTE] I’m not sure, but I think that’s a Subway _restaurant_. Atrocity indeed – I want that funky wedge-cut sandwich bread back, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/26 "2006-07-13T20:43:36Z")
I haven’t noticed a reduction of homeless people in NY in the last decade. The one improvement is that the squeegee guys are gone. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/27 "2006-07-13T20:54:37Z")
[QUOTE=LouisB] Are you a native Texan? [/QUOTE] Yeah, why? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/28 "2006-07-13T20:56:49Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] I was going to respond with some flip answer about the potential but not proven mole people, and then I stumbled over this picture of the kind of [atrocity](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:NYC_Subway.jpg) I was shocked to see with my own eyes the other week, and I couldn’t go on. Weep with me over Our Fair City and what it has come to. [/QUOTE] Let me guess, someone asked you if liked comedy (my usual response: “this IS comedy”), or whether you’d like to purchase a book on 1,001 sex positions (“I thought there were only 2”), or whether you’ve found Jesus (“It’s pronounced Hay-SOOS, and he’s not interested!”). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/29 "2006-07-13T20:58:17Z")
[QUOTE=spingears] This may be a “radical” solution. Set them to work doing jobs other refuse. Keeping the city clean. Tending plants in parks and park ways. Doing the jobs that others refuse to do because of being on the dole. In other words: No tickee, no washee! [/QUOTE] What a great idea!! But wait, what about the fact that homelessness is not just about unemployment? Dammit, there’s that pesky issue of so many of the homeless being diagnosed with a mental illness, with dual diagnoses and a drug/alcohol addiction to top it off. So now I guess we need to implement social programs that try to treat these issues in addition to finding housing and jobs. Oh wait, we’ve been unsuccessfully trying that for decades. Ok, next idea? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/30 "2006-07-13T21:03:06Z")
The number of homeless in any particular area is a function of supply and demand. Demand = the number of homeless. Supply = the value and availability of social services. Supply is a function of how accommodating a city is to homeless people; the more accommodating the city is, the higher the supply (by definition), and thus the easier it is to get service. A city that generously accommodates/caters to homeless people (high supply) creates a high demand for homelessness. If supply is decreased, demand (the number of homeless) will decrease in step. Where do they go? Two places: 1. Work. Supply will decrease to the point that work becomes more enticing to many homeless people. 2. Move. Many homeless will move to a city with higher supply. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/31 "2006-07-13T21:11:16Z")
[QUOTE=ExTank] WTF are we supposed to be looking at? I see a subway sign, people walking, etc. Normal day in just about any city in North America. [/QUOTE] It’s from the new and “improved” Times Square. It just doesn’t look the way a subway station should. Or it’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/32 "2006-07-13T21:17:37Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] 1,001 sex positions (“I thought there were only 2”) [/QUOTE] **2**?? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/33 "2006-07-13T21:21:36Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] **2**?? [/QUOTE] OK 3. The other ones are just variations on the 3 themes. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/34 "2006-07-13T21:24:38Z")
Beyond the overly cutesy spelling of “Skechers” and an eyebleeding amount of neon, I don’t see anything wrong. Some of Montreal’s subway stations are artsy, too. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/35 "2006-07-13T22:26:28Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] “I thought there were only 2”) [/QUOTE] Oh, ye of little or no imagination. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/36 "2006-07-14T00:16:15Z")
**Cagey Drifter**. First, let me apologize to you for having to move your thread. You correctly started it out in General Questions. Unfortunately, too many of our members think that questions posted there are fair game for immediate humor, poliltical comments, opinions, general chit-chat, and mind-numbing stupidity. Since I had to work all day, I couldn’t, in a timely manner, warn any of them about the separation of fora on this board. This one is going to IMHO. You can still get factual answers there, and the offenderati can continue to post drivel. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/37 "2006-07-14T00:24:32Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] I haven’t noticed a reduction of homeless people in NY in the last decade. The one improvement is that the squeegee guys are gone. [/QUOTE] Much like Eve’s homeless - they’re still here too. Especially in the High Bridge & more southern sections of the Bronx. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/38 "2006-07-14T05:27:03Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Beyond the overly cutesy spelling of “Skechers” and an eyebleeding amount of neon, I don’t see anything wrong. Some of Montreal’s subway stations are artsy, too. [/QUOTE] The deal is that NY’s underground stations almost all have entrances that [look like this](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Mta_station_wall.jpg). The aboveground stations [look like this](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Subway_elevated2.jpg). Functional, urban, and not at all neon. In fact, that one set of entrances in Times Square is utterly unlike any of the others, but it does fit in with the neighborhood. I’m assuming that **gigi** liked the _old_ Times Square, which didn’t look quite like that. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/39 "2006-07-14T07:08:50Z")
[QUOTE=bump] Yeah, why? [/QUOTE] Idle curiosity, mostly. I’ve noticed that ideas and attitudes similar to the one you aired earlier in this thread are relatively common among native Texans, although not universally to be sure. I believe it must be something in the water that causes such attitudes. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303/40 "2006-07-14T12:45:21Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] OK 3. The other ones are just variations on the 3 themes. [/QUOTE] I meant I can only think of one. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-nycs-homeless-population/364303.md?page=3)