America the lousily-organised.
‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
71–80 of 102 posts
Re: ‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
But here's the thing: SV still needs 7-11 clerks, still needs fast food workers, still needs coffee baristas, and still needs all of those lower income positions. Automation is nowhere near eliminating all of those positions yet. So if all those people left, where would those businesses hire from?
If more people said "F * this, I don't want to live out of my car" and then drove away to someplace cheaper, business owners would have to raise wages to attract people to either stay or move to the area. What I'm interested is why has the equilibrium been established where people who aren't making enough to have a decent standard of living choose to stay there.
It turns out, being poor is very expensive and when you have no money, you have no money to start over somewhere else.
Re: ‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
#73There are easier locations to live on $15/hr in California and the USA than Silicon Valley. Some of the people featured in the article have vehicles which implies mobility. I wish the article focused more on the reasons people choose to stay in a place with a ridiculous cost of living that they can't afford. That seems like the real story to me. I'm sure there are valid reasons like family or other things but it's no…
Maybe it's hard for them to find work outside of the area and they are living paycheck to paycheck. So any gap in employment would sink them. It's hard to get out of an area when you're economically distressed. Cutting that tiny lifeline is a massive risk. This is the same problem keeping poor rural people stuck in poor rural areas.
I don't think that's OP's point, the article should talk more about the reason why the housing is so expensive, not just say "because of silicon valley." I would like to know what the problem is as well, as I was under the impression that salaries where connected to the cost of living (i.e. If someone needs a security guard, they should pay comparable to the cost of living in the area their employees would live.)
Re: ‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
I hear the same argument on this site every time poverty and homelessness in Silicon Valley is brought up, but I really don't understand it. Massive capital concentration is leading to only a few cities in the country experiencing economic growth, and your solution is to just build more housing in those few areas? Why not do something about the capital concentration? Why not do something to push some of those jobs in…
> your solution is to just build more housing in those few areas Yes: http://www.sightline.org/2017/09/21/yes-you-can-build-your-w...
this is a very good post. I wish every voter in CA and SF would read this.
Re: ‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
#75This nightmare has been building for 4 decades and it's finally reaching a breaking point. Here's my recommendation: - Work with builders to remove all regulations that prevent building. - Zone much more residential areas - Remove all height restrictions - invite builders to build and offer them legal protection from NIMBYs - dezone some of non-residential zoning, if needed: In places where there's limited space, we…
How about GTFO of Northern California?
High quality housing in my city is about $120/ft.
Re: ‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
#76> Mountain View, a city of 80,000 which also is home to Mozilla and 23andMe, has committed more than $1 million over two years for homeless services, including money for an outreach case manager and a police officer to help people who live in vehicles. Why are local governments treating these people as dysfunctional when the dysfunction is in the government in its ability to provide an environment that is safe, stabl…
I don't get it. Is your premise is that every person making minimum should be able to live anywhere they want in the US, and if they can't the government is responsible?
There’s a reasonable claim that once you live somewhere, you’re entitled to an affordable way to remain there.
Providing this entitlement requires eliminating everyone else’s freedom to move there. Obviously CA can’t directly enact an immigration policy, but affordable housing activists are focused on moving from market to lottery/waiting list allocation of housing, where longtime locals are prioritized. “Affordable housing.” Trouble is, they are only succeeding at this for new buildings; outsiders are still able to outbid locals for old buildings, which are most of the market. But stronger rent control could stop that.
Re: ‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
#77There are easier locations to live on $15/hr in California and the USA than Silicon Valley. Some of the people featured in the article have vehicles which implies mobility. I wish the article focused more on the reasons people choose to stay in a place with a ridiculous cost of living that they can't afford. That seems like the real story to me. I'm sure there are valid reasons like family or other things but it's no…
> Some of the people featured in the article have vehicles which implies mobility
A good friend is a mechanic in the East Bay and services many people out in SF and the entire bay too. Before 2008's housing bust, about 90% of customers had 2 cars and routinely paid in checks or cash (yes really, even for a $3.5k transmission). After 2008, most people got rid of the second car, only ~15% have more than one now, and the credit card usage is about 95%. You can argue something about 2% cash back or something, but the fact is that they don't have the money to cover a brake job, let alone a new OBC.
So, no, most Bay Area families do not have mobility anymore, as they are both using the same car to drive to different workplaces. They can't move, as they don't have the money and trying to 'solve the 2-body problem' is very difficult.
Aside: buy one of these, or something like it: https://www.amazon.com/Reader-Diagnostic-Check-Engine-Light/...
Re: ‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
#78There are easier locations to live on $15/hr in California and the USA than Silicon Valley. Some of the people featured in the article have vehicles which implies mobility. I wish the article focused more on the reasons people choose to stay in a place with a ridiculous cost of living that they can't afford. That seems like the real story to me. I'm sure there are valid reasons like family or other things but it's no…
As a filthy filthy hobo I can share my own reasons: nice weather, free college, interesting people, not too hard to find gig work, and surrounded by natural beauty. It's one of the best places to be homeless. Weather and ascetics are a big factor IMO. Even filthy hobos can enjoy the lawns of the Presido, the jagged hills of the city, the almost ominous, creeping fog, pregnant with mystery... and you know, the crack scene is totally popping.
Re: ‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe it's hard for them to find work outside of the area and they are living paycheck to paycheck. So any gap in employment would sink them. It's hard to get out of an area when you're economically distressed. Cutting that tiny lifeline is a massive risk. This is the same problem keeping poor rural people stuck in poor rural areas.
I don't think that's OP's point, the article should talk more about the reason why the housing is so expensive, not just say "because of silicon valley." I would like to know what the problem is as well, as I was under the impression that salaries where connected to the cost of living (i.e. If someone needs a security guard, they should pay comparable to the cost of living in the area their employees would live.)
> I don't think that's OP's point, the article should talk more about the reason why the housing is so expensive, not just say "because of silicon valley."
I don't think so;
> I wish the article focused more on the reasons people choose to stay in a place with a ridiculous cost of living that they can't afford.
Perhaps that's open to interpretation, but I took it to mean, why are staying if they can't afford to?
Re: ‘I lost everything:’ Homelessness surges in Silicon Valley
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe it's hard for them to find work outside of the area and they are living paycheck to paycheck. So any gap in employment would sink them. It's hard to get out of an area when you're economically distressed. Cutting that tiny lifeline is a massive risk. This is the same problem keeping poor rural people stuck in poor rural areas.
I don't think that's OP's point, the article should talk more about the reason why the housing is so expensive, not just say "because of silicon valley." I would like to know what the problem is as well, as I was under the impression that salaries where connected to the cost of living (i.e. If someone needs a security guard, they should pay comparable to the cost of living in the area their employees would live.)
For home prices: Tech companies pay high wages, and can afford to follow cost-of-living increases (and have to, because demand for tech employees in SV is higher than the supply). Home prices go up because NIMBYism won't allow housing supply to increase along with demand.
If someone needs a security guard, they'll pay the least that gets them someone competent to do the work. For the employer, the question isn't directly connected to the standard of living, it's "can I get a body in the door for this rate of pay?" I'd suspect the pay won't go up, as long as the answer's "yes".