How Utah Reduced Chronic Homelessness (2015)

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Sep 18, 2016, 5:52 PM UTC

Chathamization wrote: post #7

iambateman wrote: post #2

homelessness is tough. In our medium size city (Columbia, SC) we have roughly 1,400 homeless and no one (myself included) seems to know what to do. I feel like affordable/free housing has been tried before, and you end up with "projects" with a drug problem. I wonder how they expect this will be different. Am I off here? Does it not seem naive to say: "they're homeless, so let's just give them an apartment and say ou…

> you end up with "projects" with a drug problem You could just put them in high quality apartments and give them a stipend. The current proposal for a "projects" style homeless shelter where I am would have each unit cost $4,500 per month, with 90% of the units not having a private bathroom (and most not having a full kitchen). For that price you could easily afford a high end apartment and give the people a large s…

Post by wolf550e » Sun, Sep 18, 2016, 6:04 PM UTC

JBReefer wrote: post #23

11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #20

I'll weigh in from a basic income perspective... I've held for a while that a homeless person getting into housing solves one of the biggest time sinks they have. Once the time is freed up, they are more comfortable, safer and can therefore sleep better, and they can think and make a plan to get re-integrated into mainstream society. Commenters note that 'housing first' does not work in larger cities like San Francis…

But that doesn't really matter, because in terms of politcal capital, UBI is never, ever going to happen.

Post by chimeracoder » Sun, Sep 18, 2016, 6:11 PM UTC

icantdrive55 wrote: post #13

leonroy wrote: post #6

Years ago I read about an excellent effort in Italy to reduce the homeless problems there. They examined what made folk homeless and what kept them there. A big focus was on re-employment and having a fixed postal address. Those who lost their jobs and then their homes with no fixed address were unable to obtain another job and hence fell into a spiral of chronic homelessness. One of the big takeaways from Italian po…

I always felt P.O. boxes should be free for those that are homeless. If said box goes unused it is put back into general use. Verification could be supplied by the county.

Post by alphonsegaston » Sun, Sep 18, 2016, 6:18 PM UTC

chimeracoder wrote: post #19

alphonsegaston wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a source for this? It was my understanding that the program was being undermined by landlords illegally refusing to accept the rental vouchers, banking on the city being lax in its enforcement. A pretty good calculation given how in bed with the real estate industry every mayoral administration has been, even an ostensibly liberal one like DeBlasio's (see the recent Rivington housing scandal). Seems to me…

Yes, there are plenty. Here's the first hit on Google: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/09/nyregion/for-some-landlord... > The city’s Department of Homeless Services pays many times the amount the rooms would usually rent for — spending over $3,000 a month for each threadbare room without a bathroom or kitchen — because of an acute shortage in shelters for homeless men and women. Indeed, the amount the city pays.. has…

Post by yummyfajitas » Sun, Sep 18, 2016, 6:22 PM UTC

11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #20

I'll weigh in from a basic income perspective... I've held for a while that a homeless person getting into housing solves one of the biggest time sinks they have. Once the time is freed up, they are more comfortable, safer and can therefore sleep better, and they can think and make a plan to get re-integrated into mainstream society. Commenters note that 'housing first' does not work in larger cities like San Francis…