] They live - and die - on a traffic island in the middle
] of a busy downtown street, surviving by panhandling
] drivers or turning tricks. Everyone in their colony is
] hooked on drugs or alcohol. They are the harsh face of
] the homeless in San Francisco.

Rattle: First of a five part series on San Francisco's homeless problem. Don't miss the pictures.

The entire series, so far, is pretty non-sensationalistic and well written. Living in SF kind of teaches you to ignore the homeless, and an ocational fresh perspective is a good thing.

SFGate | Shame Of The City / Homeless Island