Many people in our community are experiencing homelessness -- about 35,000 throughout the Bay Area at last count. Matthew Schmitz was shocked by how wealth and poverty exist side by side when he moved to the Mission District of San Francisco. He wanted to know how homelessness here compares to other places around the world.

*This audio has been updated to correct an error. A previous version misstated the number of NYC public school children experiencing homelessness. We regret the error.

Additional Reading

• From New York to Helsinki: What the Bay Area Can Learn When Addressing Homelessness
• Sold Out podcast: Rethinking Housing in America
• One Way to Get People Off the Streets: Buy Hotels

Reported by Erin Baldassari and Molly Solomon. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho, Katie McMurran and Erika Kelly. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices