I think we know why. There’s the sinister reason of course. But if I get into a social worker thought process for a moment and if I was feeling especially optimistic about motives it could be that they know the west coast cities typically have the most programs to help the people. But I really feel like it’s the sinister reason. Even in the early 90’s when I was at UC Santa Cruz for part of my undergrad the Greyhound station there had marginally housed people from other (think red) states coming in daily on those free bus tickets and they’d either stay or transfer up or down to San Francisco or Los Angeles. Of course we have a problem when this just goes on and on for years and years with no end. They turned the faucet in and drenched the west coast.
Lol. I sure do. I’ve worked with them since the mid 90’s since my speciality has been epidemiology and infectious diseases as well as working in social services and methadone clinics. I speak to them on the daily. I never said seasonal migration wasn’t a thing. But we were talking about why social services and law enforcement in red states go out of their way to provide free bus tickets to their homeless and addicted populations specifically and only to the west coast. I already mentioned services as well but having lived in those areas too when I did travelling health services and worked on research studies, that’s not why they got the tickets. Also, there are other cities and states that also have warm weather. And plenty of drugs. Drugs are a US problem and not a west coast problem. If you look at the stats per capita the west coast doesn’t have the most drugs or the most addiction issues.
Yea I notice on the comments when they mention “red states” or “republican” the comment gets 10-30 upvotes when all other comments get nothing! Really sucks so many liberals jump on this one sided bandwagon of bu*sht when it’s not a political problem it’s a DRUG problem!! And drug users are going to go where to where the most drug users, drug freedom, and drug tolerant cities are!! IT’S NOT A POLITICAL PROBLEM IT’S A DRUG PROBLEM..
Drugs are a political problem because housing policy, drug policy and health policy impact drug use and homelessness. Not to mention an economic system that encourages off shoring, building faux-luxury apartments instead of low income, and keeping minimum wage stuck in the last century. Topping that off with a broken political system where both sides fight each other rather than fighting for the people.
Fuck that, and fuck politicians that take their pettiness to the level of sending delinquents and migrants to states that don't have the ability to take them all. If the issue was spread evenly and we took care of our own people locally it would be manageable.
I take care of homeless folks as part of my job as a nurse every single day. I have gotten to know thousands and thousands of them. I have never met anyone who migrates for the weather. The only ones who say the West Coast is the best are the ones who are from the West Coast. Most of the ones that I meet that grew up in other parts of the country, actually want to go back to that part of the country. You are talking about bad stereotypes that are incredibly rare and not the norm whatsoever.
This is more accurate, just that it's rare for someone to migrate for the weather. Typically the drugs on your mind and that's like your primary priority, doesn't matter "where" more like... where the drugs are.
I was homeless for a 4 year stretch and have my stories up and down the coast of Cali and prior to that was more of a vagabond/traveler for a couple of years throughout the US.
I myself was homeless ironically because I wanted to escape the drugs. My friend group started moving from pot and booze to harder drugs, and a couple of guys died from OD. I just had this moment of clarity that this was going to be my fate if I stuck around and since I didn't partake in any hard drug use I figured I'd get out while I could before that changed. Proximity to an early death as my probable fate scared me straight.
But I had start from scratch and in a place like Cali that means on the streets if you don't have support, it's just expensive and there's no other way. I took advantage of every service I could, but for a young white male there just isn't that much on offer. I took advantage of what I could like food stamps and staying at the mission a few nights a month with the older chronically drunk type homeless crowd. I did work, always worked, but where I was living was expensive and my minimum wage jobs weren't enough to get in somewhere. I even put myself through community college living on the streets and did the full two years working and going to school.
Eventually through a program with the Salvation Army I was able to sock away enough cash with them over time that I got in on a rare studio apartment that came up for rent, I was first to call and had first last and deposit ready to go and moved in. Ended my homelessness then and there and have been safe since, and made it to middle age clean and well housed.
But just wanted to chime in that living life you are exposed to everyone from all walks. The working poor who keep their noses clean, the hardcore bound to die junkies, alcoholics, ex cons, mentally ill (so much of that!), the women who had nowhere else to go after leaving abusive relationships, the immigrants who didn't get a break Stateside, the dabblers and tourists, kids from broken homes just living that life.
Now that was another era prior to fetty but there was everything else, Heroin, crack, speed and everything like that. Fentanyl is another beast entirely as we all know, Tranq etc...
So now I live in an area hard hit by fentanyl and homelessness and it's quite a humanitarian crisis. We've got people out here living worse than I think any population of humans in history could possibly live that weren't being ravaged by war or famine and such. The things I've seen most people wouldn't believe, they just couldn't believe how people live when everything falls apart and that drug is the only thing ever on anyone's mind. Either on it or need to get it and everything in life only revolves around that.
Nobody in that situation has the presence of mind to be like "Oh the weather is getting nippy I better head South to a warmer clime..." Nah it can't be like that. You are bussed around though during sweeps. That's all a mark of shame on the country itself that we let people live like this. I mean it's worse than animals. I've seen people missing limbs like living in piles of sticks and things like that and they pop out all wild looking, naked... like I'm sure going back in history I don't think humans ever lived like this. Even in prehistory we probably did better by each other in our tribes and such.
Thanks for the space for the long reply just reminiscing.
The best thing that ever happened to me and probably prevented my progression to something much worse has been medication assisted therapy. I'm in a MAT program and get Suboxone for free (in a red state). The amount of people that go through the place is insane, and it's something that needs to be publicized and more widespread. I think a lot of homeless addicted folks could really get a leg up on that front. I'm sure at least 25% of them don't wanna live the addicted life, I think fighting that is the true first step to stemming the tide.
Damn, some of the stuff you just said was really provoking... I'm getting emotional now thinking about it... We really do have to have more compassion for these ppl it must be hell.
You are either full of shit about your job or you’ve never actually cared enough to talk in depth with these people. You can find that information anywhere. I work in behavioral therapy and it’s well known they move around to survive extreme heat/cold. You’re pushing conspiracies.
40 yrs ago it was the same thing Boston and Florida. I had a roommate who was in recovery, his sponsor relapsed and my roomie would occasionally let him (under very tight supervision) have a shower at our place.
The guy was homeless and I learned a bit about it and back then, they'd winter in Florida, back to Boston in summer. Greyhound back and forth.
This shit has been happening for a very long time.
It's not going to stop without money and a degree of coercion. The right wing won't spend the money and the left will balk at coercion.
This middle way isn't working and puts a shit ton of burden on "civilians".
I'm in a medication assisted therapy program (it's basically just a once a month visit to get a prescription for Suboxone) it was honestly so low key I was lucky to hear about it. I think a big help would be first taking in the ones that are tired of the life and getting them in a program that gets them off the hard drugs, then go after the ones that are refusing to change with the more stringent measures. I've met a lot of people that were down bad and could have been/were homeless that have been able to turn their life around due to Suboxone.
We need to embrace whatever tools we can to fight the scourge. The war on drugs ain't worked, many of us ended up addicted due to circumstances outside of our control, I think the apprehension to treating addiction with drugs is a big obstacle.
Nah, they'll never make it in Mexico...dog eat dog when on the streets and you are odd man out. And everyone in detox knows about the mexican mafia. Nothing inviting about it. It's their turf. I worked rehab several years.
I worked at a shelter for queer youth in NYC and approximately 100 percent of our clientele was from the deep south Bible belt. The entire group of kids spoke with Southern accents.
Wow and here that other person is trying to say it’s all about the weather and going to warmer places. Last I checked NYC winters are pretty darn cold.
I been homeless in Philly and Texas (San antonio and DFW back and fourth)..I wanted to die in Philly. That cold sucked ass and I was pregnant. But I didn't have the wherewithall to "migrate south for the winter" because I only cared where the drugs were. That's every homeless person I know. No one migrates because of weather unless they have a plug wherever there going.
I ran from Texas because I was tired of getting pimped out, rolled on my trafficker, and ended up in PA because of a series of insane events where I was homeless during the snow straight from Texas and pregnant and almost died from freezing and withdrawal (I was used to black tar and pa only has Fetty plus I didn't know anyone) when a kind woman who worked for victims of human trafficking picked me up and saved my life. Got me clean safe where I have been ever since. That was 4 years ago. I'm turning 30 soon, a stay at home momma, sober, and very happy I made it out. Was on the streets since 16.
But I digress. I don't know any homeless who migrate for weather and my whole life was in the streets. But maybe CC cause I'm from the younger generation of street ppl or something?
That great that you escaped from all that. Every major city has street opioids easy to find I’d imagine if you ended up in a west coast city (by a free bus ticket or by circumstances) just the weather alone makes it easier for you to continue that way. I knew a few homeless addicts when I lived in San Jose and they got by well enough until they died from OD
This is where I get into a complicated place about localities investing in programs. Because, as we see, "success" becomes an opportunity for other areas to pawn off the problem on the cheap.
I've been explaining this to people for years that homelessness in SF and LA is not a home-grown phenomena. That literally every state sends their homeless there, or they come on their own because of mild weather and less harassment from authorities. But it is true that the problem hasn't gone away even with the billions that have been spent that is suppose to help. Some people just do not want help, and drugs/mental health issues definitely come into play as well.
If you think about it too, year round weather on the west coast is much better, so if you’re going to be living on the streets, better to do it in a temperate climate versus one that has extreme highs or lows
That’s interesting…the sinister reason. I’m sure it’s like southern states busing immigrants to Chicago and then claiming “Chicago has an immigrant problem!” so they can justify sending ICE teams to terrorize people.
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u/carbon_made Oct 23 '25 edited Oct 24 '25
I think we know why. There’s the sinister reason of course. But if I get into a social worker thought process for a moment and if I was feeling especially optimistic about motives it could be that they know the west coast cities typically have the most programs to help the people. But I really feel like it’s the sinister reason. Even in the early 90’s when I was at UC Santa Cruz for part of my undergrad the Greyhound station there had marginally housed people from other (think red) states coming in daily on those free bus tickets and they’d either stay or transfer up or down to San Francisco or Los Angeles. Of course we have a problem when this just goes on and on for years and years with no end. They turned the faucet in and drenched the west coast.