Homeless People and Expensive Housing Cause an Identity Crisis in Berkeley

Four homeless people have died in the city of Berkeley, California in recent months, challenging "Berkeley’s idea of itself as a bastion of progressive and humanitarian values," according to an article by Rob Waters.

According to that premise, Berkeley's famously left-wing values are clashing with "unyielding economic realities. While upscale restaurants and apartment developments are common, "median rents have soared more than 40% in the past three years, to $3,483 a month," according to data from Zillow. "Meanwhile the homeless population has grown from 680 in 2009 to probably more than 1,000 today," adds Waters. "Strikingly, this is around 1% of the city’s population."

Waters then takes readers on a tour of the ongoing back and froth between "anti-homeless" legislation proposed by the city and the political backlash that usually arises in response. Recently a progressive majority was elected to power at the Berkeley City Council with the promise of change. Since then, the "city set up an emergency operations center to coordinate crisis housing and opened a 47-bed winter shelter, for instance." But, according to Waters, those actions have sparked opposition from some residents, who argue more services will draw more homeless people to the city.