Downtown Santa Rosa - Safe place for a Senior to Live? Homeless problems? (Redding: low crime, neighborhoods)

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by Mollyshines

I've never seen so much trash in my life!

I can only assume you've never visited San Francisco.

[Blackhawk4440]

Thanks for these responses, too---Santa Rosa is also on my list of potential relocation spot. The bum problem here is one of the reasons I'm leaving, but it sounds like Santa Rosa's problem isn't nearly as bad as ours.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by Blackhawk4440

Thanks for these responses, too---Santa Rosa is also on my list of potential relocation spot. The bum problem here is one of the reasons I'm leaving, but it sounds like Santa Rosa's problem isn't nearly as bad as ours.

It's funny that this thread got bumped just now. I was just talking with a friend the other day here in Redding, and we were saying the homeless have really dwindled lately downtown. I'm not sure why. I haven't seen any police downtown hauling them away. But, I have seen police talking to homeless just down the road by the Safeway (which is also downtown, but not right in the core), quite often lately.

There are a lot of homeless that hang out at the Safeway, and they have signs asking for handouts. Where I've seen the police talking to the homeless is where they hang out on a little island/traffic divider where Pine Street and Cypress Street merge right next to the Safeway. They will practically camp out on that little island with several of them and their dogs and take turns holding up the sign asking for handouts.

I was wondering if the police don't bug the homeless in the Safeway parking lot because it's private property? And they can bug the ones on the traffic island because it's public property? I don't know. But, maybe the police here have ramped up arresting the homeless for things, and word has gotten around and they are moving on, at least for awhile.

But, when I first moved here in November, they were practically camping on every corner on Market Street, and lately, I haven't seen many at all, and they aren't loitering on the benches here.

So, something has changed since November, that has reduced the homeless population right here in downtown Redding, which is great.

I will say, that it's already too hot for me here, though, LOL! So, I may look at Santa Rosa again seriously next year.

[tikkasf]

As you likely know, the hottest weather has yet arrived this year for the Redding area. Santa Rosa is a bit cooler, although still quite warm in the summer......expect temps to reach the 90s on fair number of days during the summer in Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa is not that far of a drive from the often much cooler coast.

[Hypersion]

I spent the weekend walking around SF, first time I have ever done that. SF has a homeless problem since once you get away from the ocean, the homeless outnumber the non-homeless. Like i stated before the SR homeless issue compared to other cities is pretty standard.

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

It's funny that this thread got bumped just now. I was just talking with a friend the other day here in Redding, and we were saying the homeless have really dwindled lately downtown. I'm not sure why.

Because they've all headed up to Arcata or Oregon or Washington for the summer.

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by Hypersion

the homeless outnumber the non-homeless.

I think that may be a slight exaggeration.

[72bug]

Santa Rosa would be a great upgrade from Redding. There are some homeless people around but probably less than most other CA cities of it's size. Santa Rosa has less crime, more culture, more educated residents, more diversity, less isolated, better food, better weather, it goes on and on. Santa Rosa is a better choice for your criteria and nearly every criteria I can think of.

[StuPickles]

If anybody would deny that there are a lot of homeless people in Santa Rosa, then they must never leave their homes.

Less than two weeks ago in downtown Santa Rosa at 10:30 pm, a middle-aged homeless man asked me if I had any change, and I politely said no. He then walked up to me and said "he will break my f**king neck and kill me" from about 7 feet away, and then started mumbling nonsense and then walked away. It was the second time I've ever been threatened by a homeless person, but this one was more serious with the threats and the guy followed me a little bit for about 10 seconds. It was the first time I've felt intimidated by a homeless person, too. I've never seen the guy before and he looked like could have been in and out of prison/mental ward his whole life, sadly.

I see so many homeless people all around Santa Rosa and it is depressing. Most of them live off Mendocino Ave and general JC area, 4th Street, Santa Rosa Ave, West Steele Lane area, Railroad Square area, and I've even seen a few homeless people in the suburban areas of Rincon Valley, especially off Mission Blvd.

Most of them are not aggressive, but a few are, just like the guy I described.

[Rubye Jack]

I lived for years in Santa Rosa and also for about a year in Lake Shasta. I would not choose to live in either place again. Lake Shasta/Redding has lots of people making meth and Santa Rosa has the gangs, which should be much more of a concern to anyone than homeless people. They hang out by the downtown bus station, shopping malls, and downtown. People with money live up in the hills away from all this and don't seem to give a darn about the rest of Santa Rosa. As a senior I would look to Marin County and in particular Novato. They have some very nice subsidized senior complexes there and for the most part you don't see the homeless. This is because Marin has invested in excellent programs for the homeless out at Hamilton.