A lot more homeless ppl and panhandlers appeared on the streets in Chicago (Springfield: to live, price)

[At1WithNature]

Originally Posted by lincolnparker

An news article on the Tribune says that a lot more homeless ppl and panhandlers are appearing on the streets of Chicago. I had an evening walk today and I had to agree with that article. I saw them on every block from east lincoln park to east lakeview. Anyone else also noticed? Is that because of the current economy?

I know, it's a joke! You can't go 1/2 of a block without running into one. It's like get a job already or enter a treatment center or go to a hospital where you belong. you make the city look sick and trashy. i'm tired of them. there are the regulars that have been around for what seems like years, which is OK because every city has bums, but it is getting Ridiculous now. Like the word got out in the bum community or something. I wouldn't mind if there weren't so many aggressive ones. For example, there usually are NOT bums at the thomspson center but this week there have been two very aggressive bums running up to people, getting in their face (even father's with strollers), and basically demanding money for streetwise newspapers. I even saw them (they're black) get into an altercation with another black man and when the black working man wouldn't give the black bums money, the bums starting calling him the N word over and over. That's the only reason I brought race into it so people realized that they were black bums calling another black man the N word but it was just ridiculous. It was noon and there were asian tourists around.

[outsider1]

The increase in their numbers is a slight one on the North side. But there's been a noticable increase in the degree of "pro-activeness" in their behavior.

[Steve-o]

Guys, Chicago's homeless population has NOTHING on other cities out there. Go visit San Fran or L.A. sometime, its OUT OF CONTROL in many areas. When I go to Chicago, I always see them, but not nearly in the numbers you see them out West. I even saw them in the ritziest parts of Phoenix, too. Sad, really is.

[Lookout Kid]

I really haven't noticed any increase. And I can't find the Tribune article that says anything about this.

Things were worse when Uptown and Lower Wacker had the huge encampments of tent cities.

[At1WithNature]

Chicago's homeless population still seems to dwarf those out west (as steve-o mentioned). I just seem to notice that there numbers have increased of late, at least on my usual path to and from work. I'm thinking that now is the time that their numbers increase heading into the Holiday season (time for giving).

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

I know, it's a joke! You can't go 1/2 of a block without running into one. It's like get a job already or enter a treatment center or go to a hospital where you belong.

That's the problem - Treatment centers and programs are being shut down due to state budget shortfalls and people are being put back on the street.

I've noticed a slight increase in the number of homeless in Logan Square but an even larger one around work (corner of Ravenswood and Foster). We're right by the Metra tracks and a fair number of homeless people are always living along the tracks. Over the last couple months they seem to have doubled in number. The new guys are obviously just hitting the streets - fairly well groomed, carrying organized bags of their possessions. You can see them get a little more disheveled each week.

Chicago definitely has a homeless problem that has to be addressed, but it is NOWHERE near as bad as SF. Seattle and Tucson are worse as well.

[long101]

well who the heck would want to be homeless in Chicago when it gets into the single digits at night in the winter. I would prolly move to CA too. I dont think the economy has really played a role in putting more people on the streets yet. It might play a role in how much $ people give to them now

[Avengerfire]

Well it is the end of the month. You will notice them in far lower numbers the first two weeks of the month after they get their checks. Once they run out of money they are back on the streets panhandling.

[Chicago60614]

I haven't noticed MORE of them than usual. There's always a lot. A few of them who have been on my block where I work disappeared recently after being there every day for a few years. Within a week though two other guys took their place. The new guys are less threatening and don't scream and swear at people like the other two use to do. It's a lot less stressful to get lunch every day. One of the guys had yelled at me a number of times this past year that he was going to slit my throat because I didn't give him money.

It usually picks up throughout the summer and fall, and then winter clears out a large number of them. Then in spring the cycle starts up all over again.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by long101

well who the heck would want to be homeless in Chicago when it gets into the single digits at night in the winter. I would prolly move to CA too. I dont think the economy has really played a role in putting more people on the streets yet. It might play a role in how much $ people give to them now

I think winter is one thing that helps clear out our homelessness. My friend actually use to hand out bus passes to homeless people in November when it started to get cold, trying to get them to go down south. It was fairly mean though, he was only doing it because they were getting desperate and were more open to being removed from the city.