Will a Startling Scene of Homelessness Prompt Real Change?
By Janet Firshein, June 6, 2016
It’s fair to say that on most days San Francisco Chronicle Editor Audrey Cooper sees homeless people, walks past them on the street, or helps shape stories about their lives. But last month, the routine of homelessness here became out of the ordinary when Cooper, while walking her six-month-old in a stroller, came upon a homeless couple having sex in a tent in plain sight on the sidewalk.
Cooper was dumbfounded by what she saw — and outraged. She decided to take action in the best way she knows how: use her influence as a journalist to put a spotlight on the issue.
So, on June 29, her paper, with other Bay Area outlets, including the San Francisco Examiner, KQED, Buzzfeed and Mother Jones will devote a full day to generating a wave of coverage on the problem of homelessness and potential solutions.
The effort is laudable. But it’s fascinating that it took an extreme event to spur action on a problem that confronts journalists like Cooper every day. Today, some 7,000–10,000 people live without shelter in this small city. According to a piece in SF Gate, the number of homeless people here “has stubbornly remained nearly the same” since 2013. And, like in many cities, the homeless population is growing sicker, older, and increasingly being shoved into different neighborhoods because of gentrification. At the same time, the rate of homeless children and families is at a record high nationally.
Homelessness is simply becoming a more visible reality to everyone.
The question for me is this: does one shocking story have more power to move action than a fabric of stories that paint a fuller picture?
Want to know more? See Janet’s full post on Medium!
