i’m confident that someday in the future we’ll look back at our insistence on profiting off housing as a huge miscalculation.
Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
51–60 of 376 posts
Re: Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
#52Imagine you're a municipality like San Francisco. You control all of the zoning regulations, and many of the permitting requirements. You have a AA+ credit rating, and even in today's higher rate environment, you can borrow billions of dollars at 6%. You already own oodles of land. You can build to whatever height you want within reason, because you control the zoning, and you even control many of the ordinances that…
If you're a benevolent dictator then it's easy and obvious. But there are powerful vested interests and elections to win.
This; the landlords will destroy you if you dare to try this.
Re: Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
#53When people talk about "homelessness," they're often referring to street people. Most technically homeless people aren't street people, they're between jobs or living in their car or something like that.
It seems clear that lower rent/housing prices would help with homelessness but I don't think it would help street people.
Re: Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
#54Imagine you're a municipality like San Francisco. You control all of the zoning regulations, and many of the permitting requirements. You have a AA+ credit rating, and even in today's higher rate environment, you can borrow billions of dollars at 6%. You already own oodles of land. You can build to whatever height you want within reason, because you control the zoning, and you even control many of the ordinances that…
Because there's more to governing than the cost/benefit analysis of the business of landlording
More homes means more people means more headaches, without proper planning.
You'll need to build infrastructure and steadily govern your rising population. Not impossible, but definitely more overhead.
And surely all your building will lower the price of housing around the area, thus making you and your fellow rich San Francisco friends, less rich.
Re: Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
#55Imagine you're a municipality like San Francisco. You control all of the zoning regulations, and many of the permitting requirements. You have a AA+ credit rating, and even in today's higher rate environment, you can borrow billions of dollars at 6%. You already own oodles of land. You can build to whatever height you want within reason, because you control the zoning, and you even control many of the ordinances that…
The government is run by and for the benefit of the established land owners and they don't want housing, they want excess returns. Simple.
That really make sense because if you own land high density buildings make land much more valuable.
Re: Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
#56The scariest part imho is the huge housing and apartment owning conglomerates, not the small guy who happens to be renting out a house.
Its the large housing corporations which don't care about difficulties paying rent, and unlike the small guy they have an army of lawyers ready to crush anyone in their way. They also have the money and power to influence local politics in a way that favors them.
Re: Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
#57Is street homelessness really driven by people who couldn't pay their rent? You would think they'd stay away from drug-addled violent tent cities - and sleep in a car or at a friend's house. Too many ideas seem to be conflated with the umbrella term "homeless"
I see where you're coming from, but if you go to the extreme and anyone could have a private room for $1 a month, would anyone be living on the streets?
Yes, that’s already the case in some parts of the country with vacant homeless shelters, except they’re not even $1.
Re: Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
> How is this not the easiest decision in the world? Unfortunately wealthy established homeowners don't want more people to near to them so they vote against any and all change. Welp! This is why higher orders of government need to step in to "force" municipalities to enact some of these sorts of policy changes you describe. This gives the local municipalities cover to enact the good policies that the selfish rich wo…
Unfortunately wealthy established homeowners don't want more people to near to them so they vote against any and all change. Yes, combined with useful idiot "anti-gentrification" activists who have convinced themselves that the concept of supply and demand is a capitalist myth.
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Re: Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you're a benevolent dictator then it's easy and obvious. But there are powerful vested interests and elections to win.
This; the landlords will destroy you if you dare to try this.
Judging from what I've seen of SF politics its much more homeowners, who have far more power, than landlords.
Re: Rising rent, not poverty, is the real driver of homelessness
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
Absolutely yes they would. I know someone in my extended family on the streets - his problem is addiction. Lot's of people are willing to offer a roof. I know that's anecdata - but you asked about the extreme case.
Is it because buildings refuse to house people with addiction problems, or that the extra $1/month is better used in their mind to get the next dose of the substance?
The roof typically comes with the stipulation of no drugs (or even rehab).
That’s untenable to the addict.