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California's hidden homeless: workers living in cars due to property prices

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Re: California's hidden homeless: workers living in cars due to property prices

#41

Post by dsr_ »

louithethrid wrote: post #25

Is there no way, to just take a normal residential building, tear everything down inside except for the exterior walls and fill it with japanese sleep coffins? Even if zoning laws would forbid this- life should find a way as they say.

Let's estimate it out.

http://www.loopnet.com/california/san-francisco_apartment-bu...

2950 21st Street is 4900 square feet and costs $3M. Right now it's 4 x 1200 square foot apartments, which go for about $45/square foot. Yowzers, that's $4500/month.

Let's say you take each of the two floors and remodel them: two full bathrooms designed for shared tenancy, each coffin takes up 8 feet by 5 feet by 4 feet and you stack them two high, with 8 sqft of hallway and such added in. That's 48 sqft per coffin stack, so with perfect layout you get 100 coffin stacks. But you need room for bathrooms for 80+ people, and that means 8 stalls, 8 sinks, and 8 shower cubicles, taking up about 20% of the space. OK, your max occupancy is 80 where it used to be 16.

The good news: you can charge as little as $250/month. If you spend enough on insulation you won't need to spend much on heat in the winter, but ventilation is going to be a problem.

Nobody gets a parking space.

Lice will be a problem.

Cockroaches will be a problem.

However, the issue that will get you the status of first slumlord to be sentenced to life in prison is fire safety.

Re: California's hidden homeless: workers living in cars due to property prices

#42

Post by throwaway2048 »

tiredwired wrote: post #28
louithethrid wrote: post #25

Is there no way, to just take a normal residential building, tear everything down inside except for the exterior walls and fill it with japanese sleep coffins? Even if zoning laws would forbid this- life should find a way as they say.

People will still complain about anything more expensive than living in a car or tent.

yeah, clearly these people are just whiners and shouldnt have any issue paying $4000 a month in rent for a single room appartment.

Re: California's hidden homeless: workers living in cars due to property prices

#43

Post by jfoucher »

Sorry if this sounds rude, it's not meant to be, but as a foreigner, I really cannot fathom why what are basically homeless people would be called "middle class". How can you be "middle class" and poor at the same time ? What is the definition of "middle class" ?

Re: California's hidden homeless: workers living in cars due to property prices

#44

Post by maxxxxx »

JustAnotherPat wrote: post #20

I've come to the sad realization that Holywood/Silicon Valley liberal ideology is a significant enabler of inequality and wealth stratification. They'd rather have people living out of cars and tents than being paid reasonable wages or having affordable housing. Can't wait until their latest amendment passes[0] in California. [0] https://ballotpedia.org/California_No_Taxes_After_Age_55_Ini...

I don't think this a left/right or liberal/conservative issue. People with high incomes of every political leaning think they deserve their high incomes and like to pay the rest as little as possible. For example there is no reason why rich tech companies can't pay their cleaning staff decent money other than not caring.

Over the last few years I have had several people with multi million dollar homes ask me to help with tech issues and they were the stingiest people I have ever met. Thank God I can tell them to f... off but a lot other people don't have the luxury of choice.

Re: California's hidden homeless: workers living in cars due to property prices

#46

Post by baron816 »

I recently moved out to Silicon Valley and it’s shocking to me how depressed the area looks. All the housing is cheap, ugly 70s/80s era architecture. Much of that is poorly maintained. Most retail storefronts are about the same. Add in all the poverty and homeless and I’m betting it would be impossible for any visitor to tell there was an economic boom unrivaled in all of civilization happening. Consider Venice in the 14-16th centuries, Amsterdam in the 17th century, London in the 18-19th centuries, New York in the early 20th century. SV is not building anything people are going to want to come see 400 years from now. It’s amazing how people there are happy to let people suffer to protect nothing special at all.

Re: California's hidden homeless: workers living in cars due to property prices

#47

Post by johngalt »

jfoucher wrote: post #43

Sorry if this sounds rude, it's not meant to be, but as a foreigner, I really cannot fathom why what are basically homeless people would be called "middle class". How can you be "middle class" and poor at the same time ? What is the definition of "middle class" ?

The people in this scenario aren't poor. They simply can't find living arrangements that meet their requirements.

Re: California's hidden homeless: workers living in cars due to property prices

#49

Post by LyalinDotCom »

This can't be the America we want for our children and fellow citizens, but until we can get normal people into elected office the tailspin of our country will continue.

If you feel helpless about situations like this two pieces of advice of how YOU can help:

1) Get educated on your local politicians and newcomers during elections

2) Vote

You'll make a huge difference.

Re: California's hidden homeless: workers living in cars due to property prices

#50

Post by Apocryphon »

LyalinDotCom wrote: post #48
Apocryphon wrote: post #45

Is there a legal avenue for the governor to declare a state of emergency and use eminent domain to mandate the building of homes, overruling local authorities?

I am sure they will get right on that.

We just need the right governor in power, if we lived in a summer blockbuster.
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