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The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

moneywise.com

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Re: The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

#161

Post by humanrebar »

btreecat wrote: post #80
jongjong wrote: post #16

Part of the problem is government regulation. In some places, it's almost impossible to build new houses due to regulations. Some portion of the population wants to see house prices continue to increase and they will vote for politicians who will implement policies which will support that agenda. Of course this happens at the expense of another, also large portion of the population who do not own a house and have to…

Claiming there's a problem "with regulations" and it's also "the government's fault" is like saying "I'm hungry, have access to food, but actually doing the work to prepare the food and then eat the food, that's just not appealing." The body that created and enforces the regulations can also change them to make things easier. It's not a one direction street. Additionally I don't see much data (certainly none you poin…

Except a lot of the onerous regulations are local. And local landowners are effectively voting to price their political opposition out of the local housing market.

Those people aren't around anymore to vote anymore. They're scrambling to find the next apartment to be priced out of in a few more years.

Re: The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

#162

Post by davidgerard »

jongjong wrote: post #16

Part of the problem is government regulation. In some places, it's almost impossible to build new houses due to regulations. Some portion of the population wants to see house prices continue to increase and they will vote for politicians who will implement policies which will support that agenda. Of course this happens at the expense of another, also large portion of the population who do not own a house and have to…

The problem is not building houses. The ratio of empty houses to homeless people is between 5:1 and 35:1. This is not a supply-and-demand issue, this is a failure of public policy.

Re: The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

#163

Post by [deleted] »

qznc wrote: post #24
myshpa wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The quote you've posted is missing current numbers. We're now at 50%. "In a 2020 journal article for the American Society on Aging, Kushel wrote that of all the homeless single adults in the early 1990s, 11% were aged 50 and older. By 2003, she says that percentage grew to 37%. Now, the over-50 demographic represents half of the homeless single adults in the U.S. — with no sign of their numbers slowing, leaving baby…

This metric is weird. Is it somehow better if “young” adults were homeless?

[deleted]

Re: The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

#164

Post by PixyMisa »

BirAdam wrote: post #120
somewhereoutth wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The reason for this massive wealth distribution is the inflationary monetary system Inflation serves to reduce wealth (if just stuffed under the mattress), and encourages investment (to beat inflation). The real problem is that wealth begets wealth - if left to it's own devices the capitalist system will ensure wealth becomes concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. The only way this can be counter-balanced is with g…

In the absence of government intervention, wealth is more likely to tend toward the center. The issue is that any democratic form of government featuring any kind of legislature reliant on voting will be bought. First, large companies will want small little advantages like a new road to their factory. Overtime, it becomes massive like immunity from prosecution from drugs that kill people like opioids. Over time, thes…

Corporate personhood is a legal fiction that allows corporations to own property and be sued. It dates back to craft guilds in the bronze age.

I'm not sure what alternative you envision.

Re: The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

#165

Post by breakyerself »

jongjong wrote: post #16

Part of the problem is government regulation. In some places, it's almost impossible to build new houses due to regulations. Some portion of the population wants to see house prices continue to increase and they will vote for politicians who will implement policies which will support that agenda. Of course this happens at the expense of another, also large portion of the population who do not own a house and have to…

It's also a market failure. Entry level homes are not as profitable so less are being built. The government used to build public housing, but no longer does. So it's almost entirely on private industry to meet a public need and the invisible hand isn't as omnipotent or benevolent as Neoliberal policy would have you believe.

Re: The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

#166

Post by red-iron-pine »

sokoloff wrote: post #71
api wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is absolutely supply and demand for houses, otherwise housing would be affordable for more people. Housing markets are local. Their supply and demand dynamics are local. Affordable housing in Kentucky does not help people in San Francisco or Seattle unless everyone can telework. Unaffordable housing is a major contributor to inability to build wealth. In most cases it’s no high paying jobs or unaffordable h…

It’s not needed for everyone to be able to work remotely. A large subset of people being able to do so should make affordable housing in one location be helpful in other areas. It takes time and confidence that the remote work is widespread and durable, but it doesn’t have to be across every field.

even 5-10% going permanent remote could shift the housing market dramatically.

doesn't have to be "moving to rural Montana" just a couple hours out of a city, and that would open up the market.

Re: The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

#167

Post by ac29 »

voidwtf wrote: post #126
gcanyon wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The same box of cereal increased from ~$3.75 to ~$6.59 and gone from 19oz to 17oz. Your claim is that cereal has experienced 96% inflation? Over what time frame?

Since the beginning of 2020, yes. Even the delayed statistics appear to support my anecdotal evidence. However, thanks to Publix sending receipts to my email account I can provide a more concrete example. Kellogg’s Fruit Loops “Family Size” 01/16/2020 21oz $4.79 ~$0.23/oz Today 18.4oz $8.59 ~$0.47/oz So yea, over a 100% increase…

Not sure if you are cherry picking that example, but I looked up that cereal in my local grocery store in a VHCOL area and it is $6.99/23oz ($0.30/oz).

Re: The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

#168

Post by PixyMisa »

poorbutdebtfree wrote: post #130
somewhereoutth wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is not supply and demand for houses - there are plenty enough to go around (though often in the wrong place). The issue is that a sizeable underclass is being created that have no wealth, not least because what wealth they did have has been funnelled to the very wealthy. For example, medical bills. For example student loans. For example zero interest rates with zero wage inflation meaning accommodation cost…

[flagged]

That's the strongest argument in favor of the Second Amendment I've ever seen.

Re: The elderly are becoming homeless at a rate not seen since the Great Depression

#170

Post by acuozzo »

chii wrote: post #93
somewhereoutth wrote: post #52

It never ceases to astonish me how the richest country on the planet is still in 'survival mode' where everyone has to justify their claim to, well, anything at all. In Europe (even as it was largely laid waste after WW2), it is understood that we are all together, and simply by existing we have a right to at least a basic level of living. Perhaps part of that is that because communism was so close, for so long, it w…

> where everyone has to justify their claim but why shouldn't that be the case? There's no natural rights to anything, and it's the law of the jungle. There's a veneer of civility so as not to cause anarchy with people killing each other for some food. But just because someone exists, doesn't give them any privileges to own anything, except for what they worked for (or get given from parents).

> except for what they worked for (or get given from parents)

Why should they be entitled to this if it's the law of the jungle?

Beavers building a dam aren't entitled to the fruits of their labor.

Being entitled to what you worked for is not a natural right. It's a right granted to you by the state just like any other.

Without the state, someone stronger/better/faster can just come and take it all away.

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