If San Francisco improves its homelessness programs, LA will just bus even more homeless up to SF. If there were a federal stipend for each homeless person then that would no longer be an issue.
It's a classic example of the prisoner's dilemma - the best outcome is gotten from everyone working to solve the problem, but it's in everyone's individual self-interest to fuck others over.
As a suburban dweller in Oregon, I benefit enormously from Portland taking one for the team - Hillsboro and Beaverton's Finest can harass the homeless with a purpose, knowing that they will eventually get sick and tired of the mistreatment and move back to Portland. Thanks, Charlie![1]
This is the entire origin of NIMBYism - "It'd be great if we could put in a methadone clinic / halfway house / homeless shelter / whatever to deal with our social problems, but what it actually means is that every other nearby region will just dump their own burdens on us."
