By Joe Rivano Barros

On any given morning in the Mission’s northeast corridor, the homeless have set up multi-colored REI tents in encampments that stretch entire blocks. On streets like Shotwell between 16th and 17th, the tents will remain all day. On others, like Folsom between 18th and 19th or Treat between 17th and 19th, the homeless will pack up during the day, but not always.

Some residents and local businesses – some of whom are sympathetic to the homeless – say the growing numbers have become a problem. Regardless, the men and women living in the tents, police said, are likely here to stay.

“Ten years ago, the streets were really rough,” said Andrea Combet, who lives on Shotwell with her husband and daughter. “But now, it’s worse in a totally different way. There’s been a very marked increase in tent encampments. They [homeless people] weren’t living on the streets as much then.”

Combet said the “more permanent situation” has developed over the last year or two.

At the August community meeting at the Mission Station Captian Daniel Perea said that enforcement is ineffective because it only temporarily displaces the encampments. Further enforcement, he added, “is not going to correct this,” since officers (unable to physically relocate people) are left with the ineffective option of handing out fines. READ MORE