Written by Mayher Dulani

The Bay Area has suffered a homelessness crisis for decades, further exacerbated by residents’ harsh stereotypes against the unhoused population rather than empathy. In 2023 Georgia Lowe wrote in Public Perceptions of Homelessness, “In a survey out of 17 options, 47 percent of people said that they assumed the main leading factor to homelessness was alcohol and drug problems.” The fact that nearly half of the responders support the idea that homelessness stems from addiction shows a trend of unconscious bias.
Bias towards the homeless population only perpetuates the crisis as residents push back against taking steps to help lower the homelessness rate. A major concern is that proposed solutions to help the homeless population may increase residents’ taxes to fund programs and lower their property value. Essentially, constructing shelters brings the homeless population closer to the richer neighborhoods, leading to a lessening demand for property in the area. Another concern by residents is public safety and the correlation between crime and homeless people in the area. The NIMBY, or “Not in my Backyard,” movement is one of the main communities that opposes further steps to help the homeless. Nimbyism often results in stricter zoning laws, which do not allow for the building of these shelters and affordable housing near residential areas. In The Impact of NIMBY on Housing Homeless Families, Katrina Bostick writes that “these barriers can discourage establishing support services like counseling, job training, and medical facilities near homeless communities.”
Bias also negatively affects the way homeless patients are treated in medical care. According to a survey from the National Library of Medicine (NIH), “Patients in general have reported suboptimal primary care interactions when seeking care for chronic pain due to suspicions of drug-seeking, having their symptoms dismissed as trivial, or feeling that they have been disrespected.” Those confined to the streets by medical conditions are often left untreated, and a lack of proper medical care can prevent patients from overcoming mental health issues.
Discrimination against the homeless population not only affects medical care and residents but most importantly, the policymakers. Vice President of Land Planning and Operations Jeff Schroeder in a Palo Alto Online article says that “[legislators] are elected by the voters. Most voters are property owners, and most have benefited from the restriction on land use and supply.”
Furthermore, policies regarding homelessness prevent the population from receiving proper housing. In Why the housing supply is so bad in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jeff Schroeder writes, “In Sacramento this year, there were two bills that were housing creators and eight bills that were housing killers. Still, after all these years of the housing crisis, we get more bills that are housing killers than housing creators.”
Although many Bay Area residents have grown blind to their inherent bias towards the homeless population, lawmakers must do their part to ensure that faulty stereotypes do not influence policy decision-making. Policy-makers reflect on their community as a whole. In order to fight against the homelessness crisis, every individual must recognize their own prejudices and actively work to challenge
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