The Challenges Of Tackling Homelessness Amid The Rising Wealth Gap In Silicon Valley
Our weekly half-hour news interview. On air: Saturdays 5:30 a.m.; Sundays 8:30 a.m., 8:30 p.m. on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — The closing earlier this month of the San Jose homeless encampment known as "The Jungle" has put a spotlight on the breadth of the homeless issue across the South Bay—one of the most affluent areas in the nation.
As the cost of living continuing to climb in the Bay Area, many families are "getting out" in order to make it.
Dr. Brian Greenberg, Vice President of Programs and Services for InnVision Shelter Network in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, told KCBS In Depth co-hosts Jane McMillan and Ed Cavagnaro, that it's a suggestion being made to some of them.
"We don't export homeless people out of state or to other counties but we certainly encourage the working poor to consider moving to counties where the cost of living is less and where they can provide a more decent living environment for their children. I think the wealth gap is a huge challenge for the nation as a whole," he said.
The wages for service sector jobs have not risen adequately to match the cost of living and Greenberg said the resistance to increasing minimum wage remains a "tremendous challenge."
"Our job, at Inn-vision Shelter Network, is to try to help people transition from homelessness to permanent housing. It's really not to help solve the wealth gap and deal with all the poverty and equity issues that are inherent in high-income areas," Greenberg said.
So just what will our communities be like if only the wealthy remain?
Dr. Greenberg tells KCBS In Depth and explains what he thinks needs to be done.
LISTEN TO ENTIRE INTERVIEW HERE: