Beggars in San Jose / Bay area (San Francisco, Fremont: apartments, live in, price)

[cityrune83]

I am considering moving to the Bay area because I have several friends there who rave about it, I work in the IT/software industry, and I am unhappy with my current work situation in downtown Chicago.

My question is: where have people seen beggars/bums in the Bay area?

Each day I have to pass by people shaking a cup in my face, or asking me for money, or trying to trick me into giving them money, and I'm sick and tired of it all! Where I live - in a suburb of Chicago - I have only seen 1 or 2 homeless, but they were not peddling, which doesn't bother me as much. I just want to make sure the places I choose to work and live in the Bay area don't result in me having to walk past beggars daily.

Here's the list of places where I plan to look at some apartments I found to be well-rated and within my price range:
-San Mateo
-Belmont
-Palo Alto
-Sunnyvale
-Santa Clara
-San Jose (far west areas)
-Campbell
-Fremont

Any information about beggar concentration in these areas would be most appreciated! Thanks!

[gone down south]

Captain Compassionate, huh?

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by gone down south

Captain Compassionate, huh?

Giving money to people who can't handle it is not compassionate. Most homeless people can't manage money and do not think further ahead than day to day. Giving them money often just feeds their addictions and/or doesn't solve their real problems.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by cityrune83

I am considering moving to the Bay area because I have several friends there who rave about it, I work in the IT/software industry, and I am unhappy with my current work situation in downtown Chicago.

My question is: where have people seen beggars/bums in the Bay area?

Each day I have to pass by people shaking a cup in my face, or asking me for money, or trying to trick me into giving them money, and I'm sick and tired of it all! Where I live - in a suburb of Chicago - I have only seen 1 or 2 homeless, but they were not peddling, which doesn't bother me as much. I just want to make sure the places I choose to work and live in the Bay area don't result in me having to walk past beggars daily.

Here's the list of places where I plan to look at some apartments I found to be well-rated and within my price range:
-San Mateo
-Belmont
-Palo Alto
-Sunnyvale
-Santa Clara
-San Jose (far west areas)
-Campbell
-Fremont

Any information about beggar concentration in these areas would be most appreciated! Thanks!

I live in downtown San Jose. We do have homeless people here but it's pretty rare that I get asked for money.

[Luke9686]

I lived in Cupertino and worked in San Jose for two years. I don't ever remember having people begging for anything. I didn't frequent downtown much, so can't comment on that part of town.

[Heidi60]

Lots of beggars in downtown S.J. and near the rail road tracks. Also, there is draw to that area because of the Inn Vision shelter. Up and down the pennisula there are homeless people so perhaps you would be happier going to a place where you will get all that you deserve.

[bigdumbgod]

-Belmont...nope
-Palo Alto...nope
-Sunnyvale...nope
-Santa Clara...nope
-San Jose (far west areas)...St James Park, but that's not far west SJ
-Campbell...nope
-Fremont...nope

Your Chicago experience much more closely reflects that of San Francisco than the South Bay. Just beware the people with unlabeled metal donation boxes in front of Walgreens or Safeway - pretty shady bunch.

[gone down south]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Giving money to people who can't handle it is not compassionate. Most homeless people can't manage money and do not think further ahead than day to day. Giving them money often just feeds their addictions and/or doesn't solve their real problems.

The OP didn't ask about social policy in the field of homelessness, he asked how how he can stay away from those smelly bums who were put here just to annoy him.

[cityrune83]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Giving money to people who can't handle it is not compassionate. Most homeless people can't manage money and do not think further ahead than day to day. Giving them money often just feeds their addictions and/or doesn't solve their real problems.

Thanks for backing me up! This is exactly what I have been told, and I am sure it is the case. They can get food and shelter at a homeless shelter, but they can't get alcohol or cigarettes at a homeless shelter.

And it's not that I am without compassion... It's that it annoys me to no end, knowing that GIVING BEGGARS MONEY ALL THE TIME IS NOT GOING TO MAKE THEM GO AWAY. Especially not the same ones who I see every single day. So rather than giving money to beggars for cigs and beer, I'd rather avoid those people and donate to shelters instead.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by gone down south

The OP didn't ask about social policy in the field of homelessness, he asked how how he can stay away from those smelly bums who were put here just to annoy him.

I think you put a little of your own spin on that. And quite frankly, I can understand why people feel that way after a while. It's easy to be "compassionate" toward the homeless in the abstract. When you have to deal with them on a daily basis, it's a different story.