The ‘Alternative’ holiday blog

I am privileged to be able to travel. I realise that some of you may think I am a hypocrite by flying, as well as discussing climate change, but here I am in San Francisco. This is a lovely city with spectacular views and many pretty houses. One of the main things I have noticed is how colourful it is.

We are lucky to have a friend who lives here - Rita. She has kindly driven us around the city and discussed many interesting things with us. As I have an interest in photography, I have tried to capture another side of the city which tourists might not always portray. I have been struck by the number of homeless people on the streets. On talking to Rita, she said that that this is a big problem in the city. When reading about this, I discovered that there are 8011 ‘reported’ homeless people in the city, which is an increase of 17% since 2017 (San Francisco Chronicle). The New York Times suggests that the problem is much greater than this.

Later in the day we discussed the issue of healthcare in the USA. US residents pay approximately 10% of their income on health insurance, as well as a ‘deductible’ up front payment which must be met before the insurance company starts paying on claims. This can be a significant amount of money (It is more complex than this of course). An act of 1987 set up the San Francisco Health Care for the Homeless Program (SFHCHP), as 62% of homeless people are uninsured.

The stark contrast between the rich and poor is evident in this city. The expensive homes and yachts on one side and the poverty on the other. Income inequality in the US is at its highest level in 50 years. Today we have enjoyed riding on the cable cars and having a lovely meal in ChinaTown.