William Baldwin Quotes

The questions that consume me, that keep me up at night, are the people that are sleeping on the streets.

We know that all too often, homelessness and behavioral health challenges go hand in hand.

There is nothing compassionate or safe about relegating people, particularly those suffering from mental health or addiction issues, to sleep on our streets.

I spend a fair bit of time in Los Angeles, and there is much I love about the place - the weather, the food, the beaches and the golf. And a few things I don't. Like the way an enormous number of mentally ill people seem to be forced to live on the streets with little or nothing in the way of government assistance.

About one third of the people who are on the streets are mentally ill.

Every day on our streets there are people who are facing a combination of homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. Each of these conditions is challenging alone, but when experienced at the same time it creates a downward spiral that makes it even more difficult for the person to get treated and housed.

Homelessness, open air drug use and mental illness - which we all see in this city - are things we've been relying on the DA's office and the jails to deal with. That's really expensive, inhumane and ineffective.

Most people, if you live in a big city, you see some form of schizophrenia every day, and it's always in the form of someone homeless. 'Look at that guy - he's crazy. He looks dangerous.' Well, he's on the streets because of mental illness. He probably had a job and a home.

There are three major social issues that this country is struggling with: education, poverty, and drugs. Two of them we talk about, and one of them we don't.

There are five issues that make a fist of a hand that can knock America out cold. They're lack of jobs, obesity, diabetes, homelessness, and lack of good education.

Poverty and immorality are not synonymous.

There are no "points of light" for those who sleep on grates and park benches.

People end up on the street for many different reasons - leaving care or hospital, problems with debt, unemployment, mental health, family breakup - and so the help they need is varied, too.

It can be refugees, it can be a pregnant mother, it can be a 15-year-old... homelessness can happen to everybody.

To be honest, busking was a massive part of becoming aware of homelessness. I used to run into a lot of 'Big Issue' sellers and a lot of people on the street. It really opened my eyes to the kind of life that they live and the options that are open for them - or not, actually.

To me poverty, mental health, and addictions don't sound like criminal justice problems. They sound to me like a social justice problem.

Homelessness and behavioral health challenges affect every neighborhood in San Francisco.

There is no single cause of homelessness, and vulnerable people, those with mental health problems and addictions for example, need support not punishment.

It's a mistake to think that there's a difference between someone on the street and someone not on the street.

By incarcerating someone who is homeless or addicted or who suffers from mental health challenges, we only further destabilize that person and create situations where they are more likely to commit crimes in the future.

We need a coordinated, citywide approach to make sure that everyone in San Francisco is sheltered and has access to the care they need.

Homelessness is like public education - something that for far too long we haven't put the resources or love or attention to.

Death, disease, and divorce affect wealthy suburbs as well as the inner city.

On the campaign trail, I have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life - from residents at a battered women's shelter to mentally handicap children to retirees - and learn about their lives and struggles.

With commitment and the right investments, we can create a San Francisco where no one is forced, relegated, or allowed to sleep on the streets, and where no one endures addiction or mental illness on the streets without supportive and effective services.