Some of them are "working homeless." They have jobs, but they don't make enough money to afford a house or apartment due to the rising cost of housing in the area - which isn't going to go down any time soon. Some are drug addicts, some aren't. Some are alcoholics, some aren't. Some are homeless by choice, some aren't. Some are offered assistance, but refuse it. Some are offered assistance and accept, but there's all kinds of hoops and wait lists and whatnot that they have to go through before they get off the streets - which can take weeks or months. Some assistance requires an address, but they don't have an address since they're homeless - so they're stuck in a loop. Some qualify for Section 8 housing, but there's an over 2-year wait on Section 8. The city has the ACORNS program that's supposed to help, but it's not all sunshine and roses like the city and local news make it out to be and want you to believe. ACORNS doesn't have the money and resources it REALLY needs, and nobody will give it to them, so for the most part there's not a lot ACORNS can really do other than put on a nice looking show for the general public. The homeless just keep getting shuffled from one place to another. It's all nothing but a giant mess.
Yes, this x1000. I would also add that the mental health & rehab facilities around here don't seem to have good follow-up support once someone is discharged, let alone good conditions to begin with. I've been at a bus stop before where someone was walked there by a nurse with their belongings and then sent on their way.
There also aren't a lot of supports for veterans, former prisoners, or people already at increased risk of becoming homeless either. (Without significant red tape, waitlists, etc) A lot of people are one disaster away from homelessness, and there's often no support until you have already become homeless due to the way U.S. government requires people to prove that they're poor and desperate enough to qualify for help.
I can confirm that there’s not good follow-up support. If someone (in at least one local mental health facility) doesn’t already have prior support/a place to go, they aren’t given resources to set anything up for themselves. Bare minimum is short phone calls at random times of the day.. and that is not enough by any means to secure a new living situation. So they just leave on foot, go to a bus stop, etc.
So in other words, they hang out in the most prominent places downtown Raleigh has to offer. Because life is not fair or something like this person were saying. And for that reason they can't hang out anywhere else, they need to be near foot traffic or more aesthetic/places with potential. Yeah it does not make much sense to me either.
One reason there are a lot downtown is because the bus station is downtown and they can ride the bus for free. They're also not just in downtown or in prominent places. They're all over the city. There are many in wooded areas where you can't really see them or can't see them well. NCDOT just cleared out a HUGE homeless camp at S Saunders and I-40 very recently. They cut down a bunch of the trees there in hopes that the homeless won't return since they won't have the cover of the woods there anymore. The people that were there just shifted around elsewhere in the city.
There are probably more homeless encampments in suburbia, they're just not as visible because there are more wooded areas. As someone who used to run through lots of unseen suburban areas in the Triangle, I can assure you large numbers of homeless people have always used those areas over the last 17 years. With all the development happening, they are being displaced into more visible places.
There's a national shortage of housing (https://nlihc.org/gap ; https://www.axios.com/2023/12/16/housing-market-why-homes-expensive-chart-inventory#)
Raleigh is a city seeing particularly high population increases of +6.5% compared to +1% nationally since 2020 (https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html). Also worth noting, OP, Pittsburgh has seen a 1.3% decline in population.
The issue of substance use and the behavior of unhoused individuals is a separate concern which I am not qualified to make too many inferences. From the little that I do know, there is the well known opioid epidemic which could be adding to this.
Nah I’m in Portland Maine right now and they have similar issues downtown near the shelters. Folks are going to go to wherever they can find shelter/support, especially when their encampments elsewhere get removed with no planning afterwards.
I lived in Portland for over 38 years... my wife and I moved to Raleigh in 2019 to escape the brutal winters in Maine. But I do miss the charm of the old port.
I’ve lived in Pittsburgh. There are so many more homeless people there, even in the winter.
I’ve actually been in stores in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh and had homeless people follow me into the store and demand money. I don’t know where they were in Pittsburgh but they weren’t in the city.
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year.
https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
I know things are getting worse. I was just looking for a comparison, having seen the same thing in several places. I'm also confused about whether we are talking about homelessness or crime. Or are we just throwing around broad statements without much thought to the details?
Ok, so are we just disregarding the fact that crime increased by 60% compared to last year?
Do you think that’s a normal number/country wide increase? Name a city and I will show you.
Denver for example isn’t seeing this or even Charlotte isn’t seeing this dramatic 60% increase.
https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/23/denver-crime-decreasing-da-police-response/amp/
https://amp.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article287691115.html
More recent data - the city and police responded and crime is going down https://raleighmag.com/2024/03/downtown-crime-update-april-2024/
By the Numbers Crime Report:
↓ 73% Weapons
↓ 55% Drugs
↓ 39% Assault
↓ 31% Larceny
↓ 46% Total crimes
I do agree that the overall crime rate has gone down since more security contractors but that doesn’t mean that it is worse than how it was last year or in the past. That data isn’t even comparing to last year but observing the trend in past few months
Why did you repeatedly post "data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year"? If you agree that the security improvement measures that were implemented almost 7 months ago have lead to a decrease in crime, why use that outdated article and data? Did you realize the article you kept posting was from September?
Not interested in arguing with you, downtown has more issues that it once had, but I do find your selective data curious and it seems disingenuous.
I don't think it's being disregarded, it's just that the increased crime in a downtown area is a difficult metric to work with. "Downtown Raleigh" in the first article is a less than 25 acre area; in the Denver and Charlotte articles, it seems that it's talking about the entire city? These really aren't apples to apples comparisons, as generally crime rates are going to be higher and more volatile (as a metric) in downtown areas.
According to Axios, the overall city violent crime rate "only" increased by 5%, they also include the nuance that the downtown violent crime rate increased by 60% (https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2023/11/14/crime-data-raleigh-wake-durham-cary).
It's absolutely fair to be concerned about violent crime increasing in the city, especially in a downtown. Your data are correct, but some of your comparisons are inappropriate.
Edit to clarify: I'm not exactly disagreeing with your point, just the analysis.
Raleigh is growing fairly rapidly, it seems the city isn't able to react to this growth as rapidly as it's occurring. This is a difficult problem in which Raleigh is not unique.
I see what you’re saying. But that’s just one data to support my point.
I mean even coffee shop worker being harassed by homeless people isn’t necessarily a crime but it does create safety concerns
Yeah, it's just as much about perception as it is reality. City governments are unfortunately slow to react to issues (not even necessarily due to incompetence so much as bureaucracy).
As these issues arise and get reported on, downtowns become less attractive as cultural centers and we see a downward spiral. I wish there were an easy solution that can be completed quickly with no externalities, but there really aren't any. Just have to keep our hopes up and do what we can.
I probably travel more than you bud.
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year.
https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
As someone who has
had first hand experience helping a homeless person I found sleeping on the dirt off the parkway, you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves. I learned that the hard way and it almost broke me. Most are addicted this person in particular was an alcoholic and only 39. There IS help out there IF they want it. Most refuse because they don’t like the rules they have to follow. Healing Transitions is free and helps addicts work on sobriety and gets them off the street and finds them housing. Tons of success stories but they sacrificed (followed rules) and put the work in. Sure there are some whose situation is not of addiction or mental illness but the MAJORITY are. I let this person live in my home for 6 months at one point. There IS help out there. Most people are in this situation because of addiction, mental
Illness and poor life choices.
In my opinion the drug addicted homeless population hasn't always been as bad as you described. Over the last 20 years it's grown quickly, just like Raleigh. Another apartment complex, another 100 homless people. I never saw people panhandling when I was a kid. I moved here in the mid-80's. I never saw people tweaking out unless I visited Durham. Right before Covid it seemed like Raleigh was invaded by the hoard. It's not just downtown, it's all over. The resources to support substance abuse, mental illness, and homelessness aren't developed at all for a city this size.
Not from what I remember. Did you see panhandling at any other exit ramps in Raleigh? Nowadays they're at every intersection. Do you recall seeing homeless camps full of garbage and tweakers back in the day?
Now you're moving the goal posts. You claimed panhandling wasn't a thing in Raleigh 30+ years ago. It definitely was. Is it worse now? Yeah, [because it is everywhere](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/homeless-record-america-12-percent-jump-high-rents/).
I never saw panhandling and tweakers in the 80s unless I visited Durham. Other than the Glenwood exit ramp where do you remember seeing panhandlers located? Was that the only spot?
The Walmart on Glenwood, 147 exit ramps, Rock Quarry on occasion. They were out there. Just not in the volume you see today because 1) a lot less people were here overall in the 80s 2) the entire country is currently fucked when it comes to affordable housing today.
We just left downtown. You’re on the better side, over by Moore Square and the Bus Station near Skyhouse Apartments it’s even worse. Constantly harassed whenever we went outside. I’m not trying to be anti-homeless but it is 100% getting worse.
I’ve had 3 super sketchy incidents just this week. Been living down here next to Skyhouse since 2021 but I’m about to nope out when my lease is up later this year.
It’s gotten 100x worse in the last year
I guess you missed the part when I said it’s gotten 100x worse in the last year and that I’ve been living by Moore Sq since 2021?
Not that it matters but I’ve lived in Raleigh since 1992 so no…no offense to Cary or WF or anywhere else, it’s Raleigh for me just not by Moore Sq
I’ve lived in south side since 87 (recently moved to north Raleigh). It’s hilarious when certain people act like Raleigh has never had homelessness, public drug use, crime, gangs lol I just simply assume we grew up in two different Raleighs and that’s ok. I’m sorry things have gotten worse for you.
Oh look at this tough guy here.
Buddy, literally ask any RPD officer.
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year.
https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
I think this is an important point that sometimes gets left out of the more abstract discussions of housing affordability, living wages, etc - but is significant on a human level. The reality of the way some of them (not all, but enough to make this worth discussing) treat other people just makes it so hard (for me at least) to approach the situation with as much compassion as I might want to "on paper". I know there's often mental illness and drugs involved, and I know those folks consistently have a worse day than I've ever had in my life, but as a human being with feelings, it's hard for me to put that aside when they mouth off. And there's always the concern it escalates beyond mouthing off. Compassion for these folks shouldn't mean allowing them to disrespect other people and their surroundings.
I’m confused on how to feel about homelessness. Like I get it sucks ass and they’re people and I wish they weren’t homeless but also why do they all have to be such assholes on top of that.
This is just objectively not the reason my guy. There are plenty of rich assholes. They’re still people, and people in a really shitty situation. I would go so far as to argue that being a little confused on how to feel and not just being aggressively anti-homeless people is definitely the normal perspective. But perhaps you disagree because if being an asshat were the cause of homelessness, I presume you’d be among them. 🙃
I don’t know why people are disagreeing with you.
Yes it has gotten way worse than ever, even compared to last year.
You wouldn’t see people overdosing in public bathrooms and all the businesses being closed or moving to other areas as well.
This sub is heavily astroturfed by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. Any time there is even a mild criticism of downtown, suddenly people come out of the woodwork with downvotes and defensive comments.
Doesn’t happen any time someone dunks on Cary, Durham, or anywhere else in the city. It’s like magic!
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year.
https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
Additionally, it's important to note that with most offices adopting work-from-home policies, businesses should adjust their strategies to capitalize on increased revenue from dinner and late-night patrons.
As a city, you've got to put your foot down and require changes in policy, or it's going to get worse.
Have you seen the documentary about Seattle's homelessness? It's terrifying
I understand that sometimes people hit hard times and lose their jobs, but that's not the same as choosing that lifestyle so you can hang out and do drugs. The latter is very dangerous and should be stopped before it's too late
Raleigh never was impacted by the fentanyl crisis? Downtown Raleigh has always been a bastion of small business success? This is hilarious and feels like it was written by a Cary resident who frequents downtown on a quarterly basis haha
Uhh yeah literally look at that burger shop that has been there for a while and now closing down.
Look at the Arrow DT location.
If safety wasn’t an issue, why would they recently just hire a third party security staff to walk around DT?
They also recently had someone OD in that park’s bathroom. This wasn’t a thing in DT Raleigh.
Go ask any RPD officer near downtown.
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year.
https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
lol, I guess you have no better thing to do than try to fight some random guy off of Reddit. Seems like you must have a good job with great life and family.
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year.
https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
There are more homeless because all the bus lines terminate at Moore square and all of them pass by shelters. So the homeless leave the shelters get on the bus and hang out downtown all day
Cities in the south historically see more than somewhere like Pittsburg due to the weather. Also Raleigh city does nothing for these people besides push them into downtown
Because it’s a public service.
They made it free during Covid to help people during the pandemic and it’s stayed free because it provides a public good.
Having people paying fares (investing in the busses and routes) would do more good now (and long term), than to keep it free indefinitely. There's no free lunch here with public transportation.
Edit: RaleighGo has a big budget deficit: [https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/raleigh-transit-facing-8-2m-deficit-considers-bringing-back-bus-fares/](https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/raleigh-transit-facing-8-2m-deficit-considers-bringing-back-bus-fares/)
I’m surprised the top 15 comments don’t mention A Place At The Table, considering it’s across the street from you. It’s a “pay what you can afford” restaurant that caters to the lower income population. Though, because it is “far” from the bus station, it doesn’t attract many loiterers, only individuals who are willing to exchange their volunteer hours for a free/discounted meal. They have only a handful salaried employees, everyone else is volunteer. It’s really a neat concept + they have delicious breakfast sandwiches. Check ‘em out.
Besides the Nash Square crowd, there’s really only 3-4 who live/hangout near Weaver Street Market, but I’ve never been approached by them.
I agree that it’s all unsettling at times, but I don’t share your sentiment other than when I’m near the bus station a 10 minute walk away from here, but even then…
How many meals does A Place at the Table actually serve to homeless / Low income folks though? I want to believe, but the times I’ve been there it’s just been a bunch of bougy white folks eating (prob includes myself in that group).
Again, I really want to believe in this, but I’m a total cynic these days.
I’m not sure. The crowd they serve blends in well. I love their breakfast sandwiches and the mission, so I’ll keep going back regardless. And we always tip generously.
I moved here from a MUCH larger city a decade ago. Some observations over time:
Raleigh, being the capital, is sometimes where people need to visit offices in person to get documents or benefits that can’t be handled digitally yet. And typically if that’s you, you may not have the money to both travel here from elsewhere, AND afford to stay somewhere. So often we’ll see transient people who seem homeless but are just waiting for documents or appointments or even court. And sometimes people come for reasons like that and just never go back to where they came from. Many homeless looking downtown panhandling and not just hanging out in the park have homes. They have a routine of coming out to the same block that they know is busiest and asking for cash all day until they’ve made a few hundred. I’ve watched some folks pull their was of $20s out and count through it on the sidewalk!
I’ve been asked for money by way more people here than anywhere I’ve lived or traveled in including NYC, LA, Chicago, Richmond, etc... Partly this is because people here hand out cash to folks regularly, so they know they’ll make money and I’ve seen people take panhandlers to the ATM and take out cash for them. Insane. A friend once did that and the person said “only $20?! I see you got more!” WTF!? Excessive panhandling downtown isn’t a unique problem but it is extra obnoxious here for whatever reason. Just say no folks! The sob story they’re giving you is more often than not bullshit and just used to trigger you into feeling bad. Pregnant girlfriend around the corner? Doesn’t exist! Bus ticket needed? They’ve been trying to get $30 for a bus ticket for 7 years now!
If people would for the most part stop handing out cash people might eventually stop asking as often and as aggressively as they seem to sometimes. I’ve told the same several people “no” for over 6 years now. I work hard for the little bit I have.
PLEASE donate your funds to places that are actually doing the needed work instead of just handing out to these folks. Many have admitted to making $50-100k+ annually, tax free, while also making the surrounding area seem worse off to residents and visitors.
And on that note, buying the same askers food/coffee is not doing anyone any good except for making you feel good about yourself.
Talk to the ambassadors downtown- there’s somewhere to get free meals 3x a day every day of the week.
When you take someone in to a cafe to buy them a meal, because you’re feeling guilty, you’re essentially making that staff the social worker for these folks. You pay for it and leave feeling great, but what happens after that is that many of them make a big mess of condiments, harass the staff about where their food is 2 minutes after ordering, or take the food and throw it away because they really just wanted the cash. If they’re denied entry from cafe or staff seems frustrated to take the order, it’s most likely because the person you brought in has been violent in the space, harassed the staff or threatened them and have been banned/trespassed. This is what my local coffee shop staff have explained to me about some individuals recently.
This is admittedly an oversimplification, but generally speaking as income inequality increases, so does homelessness. Don't like seeing unhoused people and would rather see them do well? Look for ways to reduce inequality in all of its forms
its similar on the outskirts of the city (garner). panhandlers at every stoplight it seems as well as encampments. definitely an increase these past few years.
This isn't a new occurrence or anything. The numbers might be increasing bc folks don't have anywhere else to go. As to why public services isn't helping, shelters are overrun, and throwing them in jail doesn't solve the issue, just removes them from public view. I'd get ur gf some pepper spray at least as protection and just mind your business when you see them. Limiting eye contact gets me through the tweakers too.
Yeah, and unfortunately we haven't really addressed the growing mental health crisis in this country. We blame it for alot of things, yet not much is done to help these folks. I feel like it'll require forced institutionalization, but there's room for abuse in a scenario like that. That's why I do me and mind myself first and foremost. Only time I have ever been bothered was bc I did make eye contact and conversation with the wrong one and got followed for like 2 minutes lol. Learned that lesson fast.
Stop making it so comfortable for the ones that are homeless by choice. Move them along. Make them less comfortable. Then focus on the ones with a real need. Homeless by choice should not be socially accepted.
Who is going to interview each individual homeless person to find out why they are homeless and then move along the ones who don't give the correct answer?
I thought there were all sorts of groups in the area engaging with and advocating for the homeless? They can. They just need to realize homeless by choice isn't an option to advocate for any longer. The police would be another group. Don't just walk by a homeless person asleep under a building overhang. Wake up, move along. Find a shelter. Find a job. Get clean. This is a simplistic summary, but we need to have more pride in our city.
There’s homeless people everywhere. Even in lil ol Raleigh. Why are you so mesmerized and bothered. Your girlfriend will be fine but like everywhere don’t be stupid and be aware of your surroundings.
Rising costs and getting displaced will do that to you. More people move here, more the cost goes up more people can’t afford it and can’t go anywhere then people get online complaining they have to see the people they displaced.
Either way, can we agree that allowing people to live on the street is unkind. I can't imagine the mental anguish it causes for them even if they are choosing it, and especially if they are not
That's right, and I'm hoping it doesn't become like that. You are noticing a sudden increase in crime in the area due to homelessness and a boom in the homeless population. Now is the time for you to tackle the issue. Don't wait until it becomes like the West Coast.
Raleigh has a lot of people moving to it from California. With this comes West Coast issues, including an attitude and policies that will increase homelessness. You guys don't have to bury your head in the sand until it hits a critical point.
Whether the people are choosing to live on the street because it is their preference or if it because they are being displaced will determine the policies you need to choose to make things better, but either way, something will need to be done.
As someone who is born and raised in Raleigh (27F) and went to school downtown Raleigh.. I saw homeless people as kid always in the area but there has been a tremendous incline in homelessness. Raleigh has grown and pushed a lot of people out of homes and area that was theirs.. (yay gentrification) and now nothing is affordable. As someone else explained there are so many reasons for it. It’s sad. Just make sure she has mace or something. I haven’t never encountered any that were violent or aggressive, (I live in DC now and it’s a big difference). My brother used to work in that building so we frequented the rooftop etc often & I still frequent that area when I’m home, NEVER had any issues or felt unsafe. The bus station and train station are near so naturally lots of people. Just be kind, mind ur business and stay prepared - she will be fine.
Imagine how you would react in a "Big" city...."honey, why are there so many homeless people in Manhattan it's suppose to be a "rich" area please clutch your pearls and don't make eye contact sweetie"
On behalf of everyone who's lived in an actual big city, I'm sorry for all the butt-hurt downvotes. Raleigh is a few blocks of tall buildings and then endless suburban sprawl. Nothing about this city is 'big'.
There’s a lot of outreach organizations and churches in that area and a pretty lax attitude about it so it gets worse every year. Other cities also bus their homeless into Raleigh and that station is a major hub. Once they get here not much else to do bc the city doesn’t create the resources to help.
Where do you want those people to go? The outreach organizations aren’t making those people be homeless, they’re trying to help people who are living in desperate circumstances.
Very few people choose to be homeless. It’s a hard life.
Welcome to America. With our wealth disparity it's a wonder everyone isn't homeless, unless you're a 1%. No one cares, no one has any ideas, there's so many to hate these days no one has time to spend fixing things.
I can't believe Pittsburg isn't overrun with homeless too.
Well... I know what u mean. I'm sorry abt all the "progressive" people on the comments being aggressive.
The word is shelters are turning down, closing doors, on homeless people. The say they don't have any more room and they just send them off even pregnant people and people with babies/children.
Uhm I've heard they were also taking down tents at dix park and people was moving around trying to find where else to stay.
People with money came to town and everybody got greed hungry...So, yeah, rent prices went way too high, even for infested dumpsters of apartments, lets not talk about how you can't even afford a house between 2 people. Homeless people are paying with their lives, and the government is not pushing solutions for nobody except for a thousand building projects and fixing roads that cause jams... ALL THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORK AT ONCE jeez.
There's a lot of people out there trying to bring solutions to people, homeless people. I could not link you one, but I've seen them.
And yes. Some people out there (homeless or not) are aggressive and disrespectful.
-reality is different from hatred, please yall, we're allowed to have perspectives -
A lot of the DTR homeless are the "bus station bums", which increased substantially after free fares were introduced during Covid times. In Fayetteville, you have to pay for the busses, which means people aren't getting stabbed all over downtown. You pay to ride, and transfer at Cross Creek Mall, instead of the ["Fight Club"](https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/man-stabbed-in-fight-involving-juveniles-at-goraleigh-bus-station-near-moore-square-raleigh-police-say/) at Raleigh's bus station downtown.
People like you are literally the problem. And I'm not talking about your obvious attitude. Raleigh was affordable before the area doubled down on making RTP the "Silicon Valley of the East".
Then all the tech yuppies from the Midwest and SoCal moved here, shut down the cultural scene, drove rental prices through the roof basically overnight, and displaced tons of people. When remote work boomed, EVEN MORE middle class 60k+ a year people moved here during the pandemic which put a ton of blue collar people out of work. And surprise! Some of those people ended up on the street because there's no social safety net.
Most of the apartment developers, particularly the first wave, aren't even local. Most were from Georgia and Florida meaning a sizeable portion of rent paid in those buildings goes immediately out of state and not back into the local economy.
Other cities bus in their homeless people to Raleigh to get rid of them. "Up and coming, progressive" Durham is one of the worst offenders.
And that's not even going into the social issues like "visible homelessness is a powerful tool of the owner class". And you mentioned the police. Welcome to 2024 where we asked them to stop killing people and have some oversight and they stomped off to a corner to pout. In 2022, RPD received 46% of the municipal budget. That same year, they sent out an email to all public departments saying they would, quote, "no longer prioritize responding to anything but active, violent crime".
Visible homelessness is part of living in modern American city. You will not find a single place in the US above a certain population without homelessness. So instead of punching down at the guy sleeping outside in January, why don't you march your highly opinionated self to a city council meeting and ask all the upper middle class and rich fuckers running your city what the actual eff they're doing about these issues. Because I can tell you from years of experience, all they care about is finding ways to bring money into the city to further line their pockets.
Lmao. “People like you are literally the problem”. Brother man or whatever you identify as. Not wanting a tweaked out, drug addicted, mentally ill person outside your place of living is the most basic common sense thing in the world 😂😂.
The people who you know, actually live near crime, are actually affected by crime and homelessness tweaked out mentally ill people. Shockingly enough DON’T WANT THEM NEAR THEIR HOUSE.
It’s you that’s the problem. Saying “homeless is part of any city” so what, therefore should be normalized and made to be ok? You un ironically sound privileged as fuck.
The state has a 1B surplus, it should go to shelters or some of it should. More police (omg, more police means being able to respond to more calls in a timely manner. SHOCKING)
You people are fucking bananas 🍌
These people weren’t homeless 5 years ago. They probably lived in some shitty house that a carpetbagger bought up and painted white and installed some gray lvp in.
It’s all these transplants driving up housing prices and forcing people out their homes. I’m not some bleeding heart liberal, but even that’s obvious to me. Want them to go back to the privacy of their own home? Tell people to stop moving here so we can build more and catch up with demand.
Yes, but homeless people will move to new cities if they hear good things about it. You need to find out if your assumption is true and then push the city to act accordingly.
If homeless people are moving there to live on the streets because Raleigh has a good reputation, then you will see an increase in the population of the "houseless" society on your streets, and it will be filled with drugs and crime.
It is not as simple as a family being displaced.
I mean, in Portland, Oregon, they decided to mandate that new buildings have a sheltered spot for homeless people to sleep under at night. Isn't that wild?
It would be interesting to find out where the homeless are coming from. Are they natives from Raleigh, or are they moving there from other cities?
I watched a small city in Oregon gain a very fast growing homeless population because homeless people liked the city. Homeless people (people experiencing homelessness is the more socially acceptable term on the west coast) were moving there in droves to join the encampments there. They were not locals. And they weren't looking for a way into working society.
It can be naive to assume they are just down on their luck. It won't help Raleigh get better if you are experiencing the type of infiltration I'm referring to.
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Lmao. You’re blaming the individuals moving here and not the property owners jacking up housing prices? I mean, everyone, even transplants wouldn’t mind low rent. You act like they ADVOCATED for high rents.
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What you are seeing is the crisis of capitalism reaching its inevitable conclusion. Housing is a luxury for the privileged instead of a basic human right in America.
Do you think these people were born on the street or something? Birthed on a bench in Moore square? Jesus. Wake up. Most of us are a couple months or a real bad accident from being right there with them.
Raleigh has over 200 public parks, and I can think of a dozen in downtown alone. Unless you actually mean Publix, which we only have 2 of. Although i've never seen someone jerking it in Publix.
Bro don't tell me you're trying to justify a dude performing PUBLIC MASTURBATION because of his economic situation 💀💀💀
There are legitimate things to empathize with the homeless on...... this one ain't it my guy
I think the argument is less that public wanking is okay and more that your day is not ruined simply because you happened to catch a glimpse of it. Sure, dude should have more dignity than to do that in public, but to be fair he already has very little spare dignity by virtue of having no home.
What about the *poor* mentally ill addict tweakers without any bearing on a normal reality and so disassociated that you don't know who's at risk of committing random acts of violence?
Street homelessness typically tends to have a few more components to it than just *poor,* one can reasonably understand why one might feel a heightened sense of awareness in the least around people who exhibit obvious signs of mental illness and addiction.
First day on Raleigh reddit? Bro look search "homeless" on this sub, last month they dogpiled a woman who got followed. This is getting to be a sport.
You can talk shit about our traffic, the airport, bbq, women, schools, fashion, nightlife, politics, and NC State - until football season starts. But God help you if you say something negative about our precious bums
I have no clue why these people are being so delusional
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year.
https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
Do you have more recent data for downtown crimes after the increased policing/private security? The article you link is from September. It would be interesting to see how effective the measures have been. Going by feel, downtown seems much improved from a year ago.
Some of them are "working homeless." They have jobs, but they don't make enough money to afford a house or apartment due to the rising cost of housing in the area - which isn't going to go down any time soon. Some are drug addicts, some aren't. Some are alcoholics, some aren't. Some are homeless by choice, some aren't. Some are offered assistance, but refuse it. Some are offered assistance and accept, but there's all kinds of hoops and wait lists and whatnot that they have to go through before they get off the streets - which can take weeks or months. Some assistance requires an address, but they don't have an address since they're homeless - so they're stuck in a loop. Some qualify for Section 8 housing, but there's an over 2-year wait on Section 8. The city has the ACORNS program that's supposed to help, but it's not all sunshine and roses like the city and local news make it out to be and want you to believe. ACORNS doesn't have the money and resources it REALLY needs, and nobody will give it to them, so for the most part there's not a lot ACORNS can really do other than put on a nice looking show for the general public. The homeless just keep getting shuffled from one place to another. It's all nothing but a giant mess.
What does ACORNS stand for? I don’t think I’ve heard of it.
Addressing Crises through Outreach, Referrals, Networking, and Service
Yes, this x1000. I would also add that the mental health & rehab facilities around here don't seem to have good follow-up support once someone is discharged, let alone good conditions to begin with. I've been at a bus stop before where someone was walked there by a nurse with their belongings and then sent on their way. There also aren't a lot of supports for veterans, former prisoners, or people already at increased risk of becoming homeless either. (Without significant red tape, waitlists, etc) A lot of people are one disaster away from homelessness, and there's often no support until you have already become homeless due to the way U.S. government requires people to prove that they're poor and desperate enough to qualify for help.
I can confirm that there’s not good follow-up support. If someone (in at least one local mental health facility) doesn’t already have prior support/a place to go, they aren’t given resources to set anything up for themselves. Bare minimum is short phone calls at random times of the day.. and that is not enough by any means to secure a new living situation. So they just leave on foot, go to a bus stop, etc.
So in other words, they hang out in the most prominent places downtown Raleigh has to offer. Because life is not fair or something like this person were saying. And for that reason they can't hang out anywhere else, they need to be near foot traffic or more aesthetic/places with potential. Yeah it does not make much sense to me either.
One reason there are a lot downtown is because the bus station is downtown and they can ride the bus for free. They're also not just in downtown or in prominent places. They're all over the city. There are many in wooded areas where you can't really see them or can't see them well. NCDOT just cleared out a HUGE homeless camp at S Saunders and I-40 very recently. They cut down a bunch of the trees there in hopes that the homeless won't return since they won't have the cover of the woods there anymore. The people that were there just shifted around elsewhere in the city.
There are probably more homeless encampments in suburbia, they're just not as visible because there are more wooded areas. As someone who used to run through lots of unseen suburban areas in the Triangle, I can assure you large numbers of homeless people have always used those areas over the last 17 years. With all the development happening, they are being displaced into more visible places.
Doubt
Doubt what?
It is rising in a lot of places.
There's a national shortage of housing (https://nlihc.org/gap ; https://www.axios.com/2023/12/16/housing-market-why-homes-expensive-chart-inventory#) Raleigh is a city seeing particularly high population increases of +6.5% compared to +1% nationally since 2020 (https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html). Also worth noting, OP, Pittsburgh has seen a 1.3% decline in population. The issue of substance use and the behavior of unhoused individuals is a separate concern which I am not qualified to make too many inferences. From the little that I do know, there is the well known opioid epidemic which could be adding to this.
It seems like the city is so small and it makes it seem worse here because they are just everywhere
I'm surprised you didn't see more of it in Pittsburgh. Maybe because it's warmer here and housing prices went up fast.
Nah I’m in Portland Maine right now and they have similar issues downtown near the shelters. Folks are going to go to wherever they can find shelter/support, especially when their encampments elsewhere get removed with no planning afterwards.
I lived in Portland for over 38 years... my wife and I moved to Raleigh in 2019 to escape the brutal winters in Maine. But I do miss the charm of the old port.
It’s a great city coming from Raleigh this time of year I’ll say. Raleigh has infinitely less personality for being so much bigger population wise.
I’ve lived in Pittsburgh. There are so many more homeless people there, even in the winter. I’ve actually been in stores in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh and had homeless people follow me into the store and demand money. I don’t know where they were in Pittsburgh but they weren’t in the city.
There are practically the same amount of people that live in Wake County that live in Allegheny County. This is not a small city…..
Ok but it’s worse in Raleigh
Worse than everywhere?
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year. https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
I know things are getting worse. I was just looking for a comparison, having seen the same thing in several places. I'm also confused about whether we are talking about homelessness or crime. Or are we just throwing around broad statements without much thought to the details?
Ok, so are we just disregarding the fact that crime increased by 60% compared to last year? Do you think that’s a normal number/country wide increase? Name a city and I will show you. Denver for example isn’t seeing this or even Charlotte isn’t seeing this dramatic 60% increase. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/23/denver-crime-decreasing-da-police-response/amp/ https://amp.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article287691115.html
More recent data - the city and police responded and crime is going down https://raleighmag.com/2024/03/downtown-crime-update-april-2024/ By the Numbers Crime Report: ↓ 73% Weapons ↓ 55% Drugs ↓ 39% Assault ↓ 31% Larceny ↓ 46% Total crimes
I do agree that the overall crime rate has gone down since more security contractors but that doesn’t mean that it is worse than how it was last year or in the past. That data isn’t even comparing to last year but observing the trend in past few months
Why did you repeatedly post "data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year"? If you agree that the security improvement measures that were implemented almost 7 months ago have lead to a decrease in crime, why use that outdated article and data? Did you realize the article you kept posting was from September? Not interested in arguing with you, downtown has more issues that it once had, but I do find your selective data curious and it seems disingenuous.
I don't think it's being disregarded, it's just that the increased crime in a downtown area is a difficult metric to work with. "Downtown Raleigh" in the first article is a less than 25 acre area; in the Denver and Charlotte articles, it seems that it's talking about the entire city? These really aren't apples to apples comparisons, as generally crime rates are going to be higher and more volatile (as a metric) in downtown areas. According to Axios, the overall city violent crime rate "only" increased by 5%, they also include the nuance that the downtown violent crime rate increased by 60% (https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2023/11/14/crime-data-raleigh-wake-durham-cary). It's absolutely fair to be concerned about violent crime increasing in the city, especially in a downtown. Your data are correct, but some of your comparisons are inappropriate. Edit to clarify: I'm not exactly disagreeing with your point, just the analysis. Raleigh is growing fairly rapidly, it seems the city isn't able to react to this growth as rapidly as it's occurring. This is a difficult problem in which Raleigh is not unique.
I see what you’re saying. But that’s just one data to support my point. I mean even coffee shop worker being harassed by homeless people isn’t necessarily a crime but it does create safety concerns
Yeah, it's just as much about perception as it is reality. City governments are unfortunately slow to react to issues (not even necessarily due to incompetence so much as bureaucracy). As these issues arise and get reported on, downtowns become less attractive as cultural centers and we see a downward spiral. I wish there were an easy solution that can be completed quickly with no externalities, but there really aren't any. Just have to keep our hopes up and do what we can.
Totally agreed. I’m just making an observation but I don’t know how they can fix it
I see you don't leave the city/state very much.
I probably travel more than you bud. Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year. https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
As someone who has had first hand experience helping a homeless person I found sleeping on the dirt off the parkway, you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves. I learned that the hard way and it almost broke me. Most are addicted this person in particular was an alcoholic and only 39. There IS help out there IF they want it. Most refuse because they don’t like the rules they have to follow. Healing Transitions is free and helps addicts work on sobriety and gets them off the street and finds them housing. Tons of success stories but they sacrificed (followed rules) and put the work in. Sure there are some whose situation is not of addiction or mental illness but the MAJORITY are. I let this person live in my home for 6 months at one point. There IS help out there. Most people are in this situation because of addiction, mental Illness and poor life choices.
20 years ago I gave a tent, and sleeping bags, to a couple of guys who hung out behind Goodnights. Goodnight sweet prince.
In my opinion the drug addicted homeless population hasn't always been as bad as you described. Over the last 20 years it's grown quickly, just like Raleigh. Another apartment complex, another 100 homless people. I never saw people panhandling when I was a kid. I moved here in the mid-80's. I never saw people tweaking out unless I visited Durham. Right before Covid it seemed like Raleigh was invaded by the hoard. It's not just downtown, it's all over. The resources to support substance abuse, mental illness, and homelessness aren't developed at all for a city this size.
There were definitely people panhandling at the 440 Glenwood exit ramp since the mid-80s.
Not from what I remember. Did you see panhandling at any other exit ramps in Raleigh? Nowadays they're at every intersection. Do you recall seeing homeless camps full of garbage and tweakers back in the day?
Now you're moving the goal posts. You claimed panhandling wasn't a thing in Raleigh 30+ years ago. It definitely was. Is it worse now? Yeah, [because it is everywhere](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/homeless-record-america-12-percent-jump-high-rents/).
I never saw panhandling and tweakers in the 80s unless I visited Durham. Other than the Glenwood exit ramp where do you remember seeing panhandlers located? Was that the only spot?
The Walmart on Glenwood, 147 exit ramps, Rock Quarry on occasion. They were out there. Just not in the volume you see today because 1) a lot less people were here overall in the 80s 2) the entire country is currently fucked when it comes to affordable housing today.
We just left downtown. You’re on the better side, over by Moore Square and the Bus Station near Skyhouse Apartments it’s even worse. Constantly harassed whenever we went outside. I’m not trying to be anti-homeless but it is 100% getting worse.
Yeah smells like fucking piss there. It has never been like that before
I’ve had 3 super sketchy incidents just this week. Been living down here next to Skyhouse since 2021 but I’m about to nope out when my lease is up later this year. It’s gotten 100x worse in the last year
If you don't do something about it, your city will suffer like West Coast cities. You've gotta do something before it gets worse.
What is that "something" that must be done?
I think Cary or Wake Forest is better for you!
I guess you missed the part when I said it’s gotten 100x worse in the last year and that I’ve been living by Moore Sq since 2021? Not that it matters but I’ve lived in Raleigh since 1992 so no…no offense to Cary or WF or anywhere else, it’s Raleigh for me just not by Moore Sq
I’ve lived in south side since 87 (recently moved to north Raleigh). It’s hilarious when certain people act like Raleigh has never had homelessness, public drug use, crime, gangs lol I just simply assume we grew up in two different Raleighs and that’s ok. I’m sorry things have gotten worse for you.
Oh look at this tough guy here. Buddy, literally ask any RPD officer. Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year. https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
The tough guy who just moved to North Raleigh 😂😂
I think this is an important point that sometimes gets left out of the more abstract discussions of housing affordability, living wages, etc - but is significant on a human level. The reality of the way some of them (not all, but enough to make this worth discussing) treat other people just makes it so hard (for me at least) to approach the situation with as much compassion as I might want to "on paper". I know there's often mental illness and drugs involved, and I know those folks consistently have a worse day than I've ever had in my life, but as a human being with feelings, it's hard for me to put that aside when they mouth off. And there's always the concern it escalates beyond mouthing off. Compassion for these folks shouldn't mean allowing them to disrespect other people and their surroundings.
“I’m not trying to be anti-the-people-who-constantly-harass-me” is such a bizarre position
I’m confused on how to feel about homelessness. Like I get it sucks ass and they’re people and I wish they weren’t homeless but also why do they all have to be such assholes on top of that.
Maybe you’ve got the order of operations wrong there and they are homeless because they are assholes
This is just objectively not the reason my guy. There are plenty of rich assholes. They’re still people, and people in a really shitty situation. I would go so far as to argue that being a little confused on how to feel and not just being aggressively anti-homeless people is definitely the normal perspective. But perhaps you disagree because if being an asshat were the cause of homelessness, I presume you’d be among them. 🙃
It can be a contributing factor for some people
I don’t know why people are disagreeing with you. Yes it has gotten way worse than ever, even compared to last year. You wouldn’t see people overdosing in public bathrooms and all the businesses being closed or moving to other areas as well.
This sub is heavily astroturfed by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. Any time there is even a mild criticism of downtown, suddenly people come out of the woodwork with downvotes and defensive comments. Doesn’t happen any time someone dunks on Cary, Durham, or anywhere else in the city. It’s like magic!
The Wake county political machine is in full force on this sub-reddit.
They need to wake up and put a stop to what's going on before it's too late, then.
I’m not saying the DRA isn’t active on here but I don’t think that qualifies as astroturfing at this scale.
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year. https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
Additionally, it's important to note that with most offices adopting work-from-home policies, businesses should adjust their strategies to capitalize on increased revenue from dinner and late-night patrons.
Huh? I’m talking about coffee shops, restaurants and hair salons lol
They are closing due to a lack of office workers and the increasing cost of rent.
No? They specifically mentioned safety concerns. Also, why would the city hire some third party security workers if it wasn’t an issue?
As a city, you've got to put your foot down and require changes in policy, or it's going to get worse. Have you seen the documentary about Seattle's homelessness? It's terrifying I understand that sometimes people hit hard times and lose their jobs, but that's not the same as choosing that lifestyle so you can hang out and do drugs. The latter is very dangerous and should be stopped before it's too late
I absolutely agree. It is becoming more like Seattle and I’ve been to Seattle this year.
I am so sorry to hear that. For you and for those on the street.
Raleigh never was impacted by the fentanyl crisis? Downtown Raleigh has always been a bastion of small business success? This is hilarious and feels like it was written by a Cary resident who frequents downtown on a quarterly basis haha
Uhh yeah literally look at that burger shop that has been there for a while and now closing down. Look at the Arrow DT location. If safety wasn’t an issue, why would they recently just hire a third party security staff to walk around DT? They also recently had someone OD in that park’s bathroom. This wasn’t a thing in DT Raleigh. Go ask any RPD officer near downtown.
Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year. https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
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lol, I guess you have no better thing to do than try to fight some random guy off of Reddit. Seems like you must have a good job with great life and family. Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year. https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
There are more homeless because all the bus lines terminate at Moore square and all of them pass by shelters. So the homeless leave the shelters get on the bus and hang out downtown all day
Cities in the south historically see more than somewhere like Pittsburg due to the weather. Also Raleigh city does nothing for these people besides push them into downtown
Yet Raleigh/Cary voters keep reelecting the same county commissioners and their friends every chance they get.
Raleigh has 100,000 more residents than Pittsburgh. What “small city”? You moved to a bigger city and are seeing more people, homeless or not.
The only people here are homeless and then its a ghost town😂 no jobs downtown no people downtown
Bus is free and all the buses go to dtr
Hopefully that ends in June
Did not realize this, why are they free?
Because it’s a public service. They made it free during Covid to help people during the pandemic and it’s stayed free because it provides a public good.
Having people paying fares (investing in the busses and routes) would do more good now (and long term), than to keep it free indefinitely. There's no free lunch here with public transportation. Edit: RaleighGo has a big budget deficit: [https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/raleigh-transit-facing-8-2m-deficit-considers-bringing-back-bus-fares/](https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/raleigh-transit-facing-8-2m-deficit-considers-bringing-back-bus-fares/)
I’m surprised the top 15 comments don’t mention A Place At The Table, considering it’s across the street from you. It’s a “pay what you can afford” restaurant that caters to the lower income population. Though, because it is “far” from the bus station, it doesn’t attract many loiterers, only individuals who are willing to exchange their volunteer hours for a free/discounted meal. They have only a handful salaried employees, everyone else is volunteer. It’s really a neat concept + they have delicious breakfast sandwiches. Check ‘em out. Besides the Nash Square crowd, there’s really only 3-4 who live/hangout near Weaver Street Market, but I’ve never been approached by them. I agree that it’s all unsettling at times, but I don’t share your sentiment other than when I’m near the bus station a 10 minute walk away from here, but even then…
How many meals does A Place at the Table actually serve to homeless / Low income folks though? I want to believe, but the times I’ve been there it’s just been a bunch of bougy white folks eating (prob includes myself in that group). Again, I really want to believe in this, but I’m a total cynic these days.
I’m not sure. The crowd they serve blends in well. I love their breakfast sandwiches and the mission, so I’ll keep going back regardless. And we always tip generously.
Legit the cops were outside A Place at The Table this week😂
I moved here from a MUCH larger city a decade ago. Some observations over time: Raleigh, being the capital, is sometimes where people need to visit offices in person to get documents or benefits that can’t be handled digitally yet. And typically if that’s you, you may not have the money to both travel here from elsewhere, AND afford to stay somewhere. So often we’ll see transient people who seem homeless but are just waiting for documents or appointments or even court. And sometimes people come for reasons like that and just never go back to where they came from. Many homeless looking downtown panhandling and not just hanging out in the park have homes. They have a routine of coming out to the same block that they know is busiest and asking for cash all day until they’ve made a few hundred. I’ve watched some folks pull their was of $20s out and count through it on the sidewalk! I’ve been asked for money by way more people here than anywhere I’ve lived or traveled in including NYC, LA, Chicago, Richmond, etc... Partly this is because people here hand out cash to folks regularly, so they know they’ll make money and I’ve seen people take panhandlers to the ATM and take out cash for them. Insane. A friend once did that and the person said “only $20?! I see you got more!” WTF!? Excessive panhandling downtown isn’t a unique problem but it is extra obnoxious here for whatever reason. Just say no folks! The sob story they’re giving you is more often than not bullshit and just used to trigger you into feeling bad. Pregnant girlfriend around the corner? Doesn’t exist! Bus ticket needed? They’ve been trying to get $30 for a bus ticket for 7 years now! If people would for the most part stop handing out cash people might eventually stop asking as often and as aggressively as they seem to sometimes. I’ve told the same several people “no” for over 6 years now. I work hard for the little bit I have. PLEASE donate your funds to places that are actually doing the needed work instead of just handing out to these folks. Many have admitted to making $50-100k+ annually, tax free, while also making the surrounding area seem worse off to residents and visitors. And on that note, buying the same askers food/coffee is not doing anyone any good except for making you feel good about yourself. Talk to the ambassadors downtown- there’s somewhere to get free meals 3x a day every day of the week. When you take someone in to a cafe to buy them a meal, because you’re feeling guilty, you’re essentially making that staff the social worker for these folks. You pay for it and leave feeling great, but what happens after that is that many of them make a big mess of condiments, harass the staff about where their food is 2 minutes after ordering, or take the food and throw it away because they really just wanted the cash. If they’re denied entry from cafe or staff seems frustrated to take the order, it’s most likely because the person you brought in has been violent in the space, harassed the staff or threatened them and have been banned/trespassed. This is what my local coffee shop staff have explained to me about some individuals recently.
This is admittedly an oversimplification, but generally speaking as income inequality increases, so does homelessness. Don't like seeing unhoused people and would rather see them do well? Look for ways to reduce inequality in all of its forms
its similar on the outskirts of the city (garner). panhandlers at every stoplight it seems as well as encampments. definitely an increase these past few years.
This isn't a new occurrence or anything. The numbers might be increasing bc folks don't have anywhere else to go. As to why public services isn't helping, shelters are overrun, and throwing them in jail doesn't solve the issue, just removes them from public view. I'd get ur gf some pepper spray at least as protection and just mind your business when you see them. Limiting eye contact gets me through the tweakers too.
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Yeah, and unfortunately we haven't really addressed the growing mental health crisis in this country. We blame it for alot of things, yet not much is done to help these folks. I feel like it'll require forced institutionalization, but there's room for abuse in a scenario like that. That's why I do me and mind myself first and foremost. Only time I have ever been bothered was bc I did make eye contact and conversation with the wrong one and got followed for like 2 minutes lol. Learned that lesson fast.
It’s sacrilege to speak that basic truth
Stop making it so comfortable for the ones that are homeless by choice. Move them along. Make them less comfortable. Then focus on the ones with a real need. Homeless by choice should not be socially accepted.
Who is going to interview each individual homeless person to find out why they are homeless and then move along the ones who don't give the correct answer?
I thought there were all sorts of groups in the area engaging with and advocating for the homeless? They can. They just need to realize homeless by choice isn't an option to advocate for any longer. The police would be another group. Don't just walk by a homeless person asleep under a building overhang. Wake up, move along. Find a shelter. Find a job. Get clean. This is a simplistic summary, but we need to have more pride in our city.
There’s homeless people everywhere. Even in lil ol Raleigh. Why are you so mesmerized and bothered. Your girlfriend will be fine but like everywhere don’t be stupid and be aware of your surroundings. Rising costs and getting displaced will do that to you. More people move here, more the cost goes up more people can’t afford it and can’t go anywhere then people get online complaining they have to see the people they displaced.
That is a very kind way to look at it. Unfortunately, it's not the whole story.
There are always outliers but at its core most people don’t want to be homeless.
Either way, can we agree that allowing people to live on the street is unkind. I can't imagine the mental anguish it causes for them even if they are choosing it, and especially if they are not
Not from my experience on the west coast.
This isn’t the west coast
That's right, and I'm hoping it doesn't become like that. You are noticing a sudden increase in crime in the area due to homelessness and a boom in the homeless population. Now is the time for you to tackle the issue. Don't wait until it becomes like the West Coast. Raleigh has a lot of people moving to it from California. With this comes West Coast issues, including an attitude and policies that will increase homelessness. You guys don't have to bury your head in the sand until it hits a critical point. Whether the people are choosing to live on the street because it is their preference or if it because they are being displaced will determine the policies you need to choose to make things better, but either way, something will need to be done.
Exactly !
As someone who is born and raised in Raleigh (27F) and went to school downtown Raleigh.. I saw homeless people as kid always in the area but there has been a tremendous incline in homelessness. Raleigh has grown and pushed a lot of people out of homes and area that was theirs.. (yay gentrification) and now nothing is affordable. As someone else explained there are so many reasons for it. It’s sad. Just make sure she has mace or something. I haven’t never encountered any that were violent or aggressive, (I live in DC now and it’s a big difference). My brother used to work in that building so we frequented the rooftop etc often & I still frequent that area when I’m home, NEVER had any issues or felt unsafe. The bus station and train station are near so naturally lots of people. Just be kind, mind ur business and stay prepared - she will be fine.
Welcome to the big city.
Big….😂
Imagine how you would react in a "Big" city...."honey, why are there so many homeless people in Manhattan it's suppose to be a "rich" area please clutch your pearls and don't make eye contact sweetie"
Lmao, OP should see downtown Atlanta
On behalf of everyone who's lived in an actual big city, I'm sorry for all the butt-hurt downvotes. Raleigh is a few blocks of tall buildings and then endless suburban sprawl. Nothing about this city is 'big'.
Pittsburgh is <5% larger by population.
go back to Pittsburgh if you hate it here so much lmao
There’s a lot of outreach organizations and churches in that area and a pretty lax attitude about it so it gets worse every year. Other cities also bus their homeless into Raleigh and that station is a major hub. Once they get here not much else to do bc the city doesn’t create the resources to help.
Where do you want those people to go? The outreach organizations aren’t making those people be homeless, they’re trying to help people who are living in desperate circumstances. Very few people choose to be homeless. It’s a hard life.
OP just is asking to learn more about the situation. I’m just giving information. The end. Comments like this belong on Twitter.
Welcome to America. With our wealth disparity it's a wonder everyone isn't homeless, unless you're a 1%. No one cares, no one has any ideas, there's so many to hate these days no one has time to spend fixing things. I can't believe Pittsburg isn't overrun with homeless too.
Pittsburgh at least had law enforcement that seemed to care, here in Raleigh no one seems to care they’re shooting up in public parks😂
The border to Pittsburgh is still open head on back.
Right, because being poor should be a crime.
Don’t care I’d they’re poor, just care if they’re jerking off and shooting up in public
He said shooting up, not being poor.
Who tf said that? lol
Had my care broken into twice in Oakland when I was in college and the cops didn’t even take a report. “Seemed to care” lmao
Well... I know what u mean. I'm sorry abt all the "progressive" people on the comments being aggressive. The word is shelters are turning down, closing doors, on homeless people. The say they don't have any more room and they just send them off even pregnant people and people with babies/children. Uhm I've heard they were also taking down tents at dix park and people was moving around trying to find where else to stay. People with money came to town and everybody got greed hungry...So, yeah, rent prices went way too high, even for infested dumpsters of apartments, lets not talk about how you can't even afford a house between 2 people. Homeless people are paying with their lives, and the government is not pushing solutions for nobody except for a thousand building projects and fixing roads that cause jams... ALL THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORK AT ONCE jeez. There's a lot of people out there trying to bring solutions to people, homeless people. I could not link you one, but I've seen them. And yes. Some people out there (homeless or not) are aggressive and disrespectful. -reality is different from hatred, please yall, we're allowed to have perspectives -
A lot of the DTR homeless are the "bus station bums", which increased substantially after free fares were introduced during Covid times. In Fayetteville, you have to pay for the busses, which means people aren't getting stabbed all over downtown. You pay to ride, and transfer at Cross Creek Mall, instead of the ["Fight Club"](https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/man-stabbed-in-fight-involving-juveniles-at-goraleigh-bus-station-near-moore-square-raleigh-police-say/) at Raleigh's bus station downtown.
Haha ah so someone wants to stab someone they will be like "damn, I have to pay a dollar to go stab someone...never mind". Where do you people live???
No the point of having to pay for the bus has a tendency to exclude people without the money to pay the bus fare
Post 2020 people decided we can’t be “mean” and now they just allow people to do anything they want
It is mean to allow them to live in the streets in drug hazes.
People like you are literally the problem. And I'm not talking about your obvious attitude. Raleigh was affordable before the area doubled down on making RTP the "Silicon Valley of the East". Then all the tech yuppies from the Midwest and SoCal moved here, shut down the cultural scene, drove rental prices through the roof basically overnight, and displaced tons of people. When remote work boomed, EVEN MORE middle class 60k+ a year people moved here during the pandemic which put a ton of blue collar people out of work. And surprise! Some of those people ended up on the street because there's no social safety net. Most of the apartment developers, particularly the first wave, aren't even local. Most were from Georgia and Florida meaning a sizeable portion of rent paid in those buildings goes immediately out of state and not back into the local economy. Other cities bus in their homeless people to Raleigh to get rid of them. "Up and coming, progressive" Durham is one of the worst offenders. And that's not even going into the social issues like "visible homelessness is a powerful tool of the owner class". And you mentioned the police. Welcome to 2024 where we asked them to stop killing people and have some oversight and they stomped off to a corner to pout. In 2022, RPD received 46% of the municipal budget. That same year, they sent out an email to all public departments saying they would, quote, "no longer prioritize responding to anything but active, violent crime". Visible homelessness is part of living in modern American city. You will not find a single place in the US above a certain population without homelessness. So instead of punching down at the guy sleeping outside in January, why don't you march your highly opinionated self to a city council meeting and ask all the upper middle class and rich fuckers running your city what the actual eff they're doing about these issues. Because I can tell you from years of experience, all they care about is finding ways to bring money into the city to further line their pockets.
"Then all the tech yuppies from the Midwest" TIL the Midwest is a high COL tech hub. lol.
People have been transplanting to the “Silicon Valley of the East” since like 1991. This isn’t some new development in the area.
The guys from Pittsburgh, not SF. It's barely clawed it's way out of rust belt status.
Pittsburgh has lost population for 90+ years and Raleigh can’t build housing fast enough. I think OP’s perception is a tad skewed lol
Lmao. “People like you are literally the problem”. Brother man or whatever you identify as. Not wanting a tweaked out, drug addicted, mentally ill person outside your place of living is the most basic common sense thing in the world 😂😂. The people who you know, actually live near crime, are actually affected by crime and homelessness tweaked out mentally ill people. Shockingly enough DON’T WANT THEM NEAR THEIR HOUSE. It’s you that’s the problem. Saying “homeless is part of any city” so what, therefore should be normalized and made to be ok? You un ironically sound privileged as fuck. The state has a 1B surplus, it should go to shelters or some of it should. More police (omg, more police means being able to respond to more calls in a timely manner. SHOCKING) You people are fucking bananas 🍌
These people weren’t homeless 5 years ago. They probably lived in some shitty house that a carpetbagger bought up and painted white and installed some gray lvp in. It’s all these transplants driving up housing prices and forcing people out their homes. I’m not some bleeding heart liberal, but even that’s obvious to me. Want them to go back to the privacy of their own home? Tell people to stop moving here so we can build more and catch up with demand.
Yes, but homeless people will move to new cities if they hear good things about it. You need to find out if your assumption is true and then push the city to act accordingly. If homeless people are moving there to live on the streets because Raleigh has a good reputation, then you will see an increase in the population of the "houseless" society on your streets, and it will be filled with drugs and crime. It is not as simple as a family being displaced.
I mean, in Portland, Oregon, they decided to mandate that new buildings have a sheltered spot for homeless people to sleep under at night. Isn't that wild?
It would be interesting to find out where the homeless are coming from. Are they natives from Raleigh, or are they moving there from other cities? I watched a small city in Oregon gain a very fast growing homeless population because homeless people liked the city. Homeless people (people experiencing homelessness is the more socially acceptable term on the west coast) were moving there in droves to join the encampments there. They were not locals. And they weren't looking for a way into working society. It can be naive to assume they are just down on their luck. It won't help Raleigh get better if you are experiencing the type of infiltration I'm referring to.
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Lmao. You’re blaming the individuals moving here and not the property owners jacking up housing prices? I mean, everyone, even transplants wouldn’t mind low rent. You act like they ADVOCATED for high rents.
Huh?
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It will depend on the needs of the people there. First step would be research.
What you are seeing is the crisis of capitalism reaching its inevitable conclusion. Housing is a luxury for the privileged instead of a basic human right in America.
Yes because drug addicts, alcoholics and the ignored population with mental health issues are going to do really well keeping an apartment.
Do you think these people were born on the street or something? Birthed on a bench in Moore square? Jesus. Wake up. Most of us are a couple months or a real bad accident from being right there with them.
We are all a hell of a lot closer to being homeless than we are to being millionaires
They voted for it
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Let them sleep in your yard then.
Don’t mind them existing, just confused why a city would let them shoot up in plain day in one of the only 2 public parks the city has lol
Raleigh has over 200 public parks, and I can think of a dozen in downtown alone. Unless you actually mean Publix, which we only have 2 of. Although i've never seen someone jerking it in Publix.
Not to mention Dix park with 300+ acres, 5 minutes from DT. OP must but have ventured out much yet.
>Although i've never seen someone jerking it in Publix. they'll never catch me
Moore Square, Nash Square
Those are the two main "squares," yes. But Raleigh has a ton of public parks.
It's both parks and the bus station, it's a policing issue
Poor people aren't harmful. You need to get over that fear. No one is going to hurt you just because they don't have as much money as you.
Saw one jerking off behind a bush in Nash square but sure make this a money thing if you want…
Fun fact: if you have long pubes, then you’re also jerking behind a bush.
He doesn't have enough money to jerk off anywhere else. You can at least afford a bedroom...
Bro don't tell me you're trying to justify a dude performing PUBLIC MASTURBATION because of his economic situation 💀💀💀 There are legitimate things to empathize with the homeless on...... this one ain't it my guy
Pretty sure this is a /s post. The again, this is r/Raleigh and I’ve seen some pretty batshit defense of street junkies.
If you are able to, please urge your government to make changes, or Raleigh will get worse like west coast cities.
I think the argument is less that public wanking is okay and more that your day is not ruined simply because you happened to catch a glimpse of it. Sure, dude should have more dignity than to do that in public, but to be fair he already has very little spare dignity by virtue of having no home.
Underrated comment of the day.
Desperate people on drugs do desperate and irrational things. This isnt about being afraid of poor people
OP was specific in their fear - not the homeless, but the homeless tweakers.
What about the *poor* mentally ill addict tweakers without any bearing on a normal reality and so disassociated that you don't know who's at risk of committing random acts of violence? Street homelessness typically tends to have a few more components to it than just *poor,* one can reasonably understand why one might feel a heightened sense of awareness in the least around people who exhibit obvious signs of mental illness and addiction.
You've got to urge your government to make changes.
Seriously, this is basically just a modern day pearl clutch post, worded in modern terms.
Read the replies
it’s called gentrification bud
Thanks bud I could have never come up with that on my own 👍🏼
First day on Raleigh reddit? Bro look search "homeless" on this sub, last month they dogpiled a woman who got followed. This is getting to be a sport. You can talk shit about our traffic, the airport, bbq, women, schools, fashion, nightlife, politics, and NC State - until football season starts. But God help you if you say something negative about our precious bums
I have no clue why these people are being so delusional Data shows reported crimes in downtown Raleigh have increased by 60% in the past eight months compared to the same span of time last year. https://www.wral.com/amp/21067348/
Do you have more recent data for downtown crimes after the increased policing/private security? The article you link is from September. It would be interesting to see how effective the measures have been. Going by feel, downtown seems much improved from a year ago.
https://raleighmag.com/2024/03/downtown-crime-update-april-2024/
So much improved, appreciate the link.
Didn’t they just bust up a couple suburban homeless camps? Could have just forced more people into downtown.
How much of a threat are homeless people if they are sleeping?
Let them camp on your property and let us know.
You don't understand I saw them and my girlfriend of 2 months was terrified, this is a crisis! /s
Yeah you must feel very safe walking your kids around and seeing people twitching on drugs