Homeless, living in a tent and employed: The changing face of homelessness

Post by astrodust » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 10:22 PM UTC

phry wrote: post #127

throwaway713 wrote: post #116

A little bit unrelated, but does anyone else get severe anxiety reading articles like this? I’m currently employed in a well-paying tech job, but it always seems like I’m just one giant disaster away from this kind of thing. Granted, I have a family “safety net” to fall back on in a worst case scenario, which I realize a lot of people don’t have, but it’s always in the back of my mind that the economy could crash, th…

absolutely, and the scary thing is that > I’m just one giant disaster away from this kind of thing. this is true for the vast majority of Americans, given that somewhere between 60-70% have less than $1000 in savings https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/18/few-americans-have-enough-sa...

Post by ip26 » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 10:29 PM UTC

closeparen wrote: post #60

baq wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or we don’t and the rich suddenly notice that dollar notes can’t provide nourishment and don’t do laundry.

The rich got by for thousands of years without cooking, doing laundry, or running affordable housing programs. The service sector lived on its customers’ estates, often as part of their households. I expect this is where we’re headed. Several people I know who work on poverty wages in the arts industry here pay their room and board in elder- or child-care for a homeowner. We often hear that terms like “feudalism” and…

Post by robocat » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 10:34 PM UTC

CydeWeys wrote: post #107

trimbo wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But that relatively small number is still enough to dominate the economy of a major metropolitan area... So the rise in visible homelessness is perhaps the expected result I'd imagine the expected result is that prices increase to support higher wages for service workers... which they actually have. Just one example: a take-out salad for lunch now costs $15 in San Francisco. The place I'm thinking of has huge line…

One major factor is simply that housing is too expensive. Yes, an employee at the $15 salad place is probably making more than minimum wage, but it's still not enough to comfortably afford the high rents in the city. SF has, and has had for awhile, some of the most restrictive construction and zoning laws in the country, and as a result demand has far outstripped supply. A decent number of people in SF become homeles…

Post by ip26 » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 10:35 PM UTC

ams6110 wrote: post #69

throwawaysea wrote: post #48

I echo others' sentiments here, that these problems will not be fixed unless people from all sides stop trying to 'win' on ideological grounds, stop trying to gaslight each other, stop trying to demonize, and simply evaluate the situation for what it really is. This requires making hard decisions, selecting the right incentives/disincentives, accepting that no solution is perfect, and instituting transparent well-aud…

Pretty good. I disagree on long term residents. Just as nobody is entitled to live wherever they want regardless of whether they can afford it, nobody is entitled to live in the same place forever if they can't afford it. The history of America is people and families moving to where the work is. Expecting to live your whole life in one place often isn't realistic.

Post by m_ke » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 10:50 PM UTC

trashcan wrote: post #109

chillwaves wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the advantage in cycling addicts in and out of prison?

Did you watch the video? Removing access to drugs and providing them with I assume subsidized medication that is used to treat addiction.