Major cities would better serve the homeless and mentally ill by spending those dollars outside the city in low cost of living places. First their dollars will go further and they’ll be able to either support more people or they can support the same number of people better. Second, you put the homeless and mentally ill in places that are less competitive where they have a greater chance of being able to get back on their own two feet and support themselves. Educated college graduates struggle to thrive in cities like SF and NYC. If those folks have a hard time, there’s no hope for the homeless and mentally ill, so you’re just keeping them in a place where they have no chance of achieving independence. It’s inhumane really.