Growth in Homelessness

It is a night and day difference from 10 years ago. It’s the hardest state to find help and it has serious drug problem.

 

Really? It more a case of the accurate counting of the homeless population than a real increase in the number of homeless.

https://invisiblepeople.tv/what-is-causing-vermonts-surge-in-homelessness/
I would add that according to a number of sources Mississippi has the lowest rate of homelessness in the US. Does anyone really believe that one of the poorest states in the country also has the lowest rate of homelessness?
Which states have the highest and lowest rates of homelessness? | USAFacts
Top 10 Poorest States in the U.S. | Friends Committee On National Legislation

 

I’m not arguing. I’ve never lived or traveled thru Mississippi… but I’m familiar with Vermont. It’s just an observation from my own experience.

 

One of the reasons that the apparent rate of homelessness for "blue states" is higher than that for "red states" is that blue states are more likely to provide services for their homeless populations and are also more likely to count them accurately. Although not true across the board for a lot of red states the attitude towards homelessness is "if you don't see it it's not there".

 

Man, I hate to hear that. It's so far from what I saw up there, but I guess it's been 10 years. I've read that Maine has a bad drug problem, but most of my time there has been spent on the coast.

 

Of course there are don't be naive

 

Two problems: education and minimum wage.

Education not only gives people an opportunity for a better-paying job, but also helps people develop financial sense, ability to budget, develop impulse control, save for things, etc. instead of see something, want something, buy something, pay for it later. Educated people are better able to distinguish want from need, which is critical for people with little disposable income. Poor people handicap their own children by not participating in their education, or prioritizing homework and study for them. Immigrants (especially those from Asia) often understand the need for education better than native-born Americans.

The federal minimum wage has been stagnant since 2007. Some states have raised their minimum wage since then, but many have not. In terms of real purchasing power, the paycheck of the working poor has been cut by inflation by something like 30%. They were barely squeaking by in 2007, and now we've taken away 30% of their income. What do you expect? How would you like it if the government took away 30% of your salary (not including income taxes)?

 

Read it and weep.

Homelessness Data & Trends.

 

According to this study 53% of those in homeless shelters have a job, and 40% of people "living on the street" have a job.

https://invisiblepeople.tv/working-homeless-more-than-half-of-unhoused-people-have-jobs/

 

I hope that you realize 'studies' are paid for by people who want a certain result.

'Invisiblepeople' is a homeless advocacy group. What do you think the results of their 'studies' will be?

You're actually trying to convince me that most homeless people work? You can't possibly really believe that.

 

Look at household creation numbers vs housing starts since 2000. Let me know if you have a #5

 

Keeping the min wage suppressed transferred wealth from working poor to business. Mom and pop to intl business all profited on back of untrained labor. Increased income disparity is leading to social revolution if not addressed

 

Yet, if you actually visit a shelter or organization involved in housing people you could learn this for yourself. Most homeless people are only homeless a matter of weeks too, housing costs, landlord friendly eviction laws and low supply/high demand are a big driver of the problem. The people in denial are the ones who think all homeless are hopelessly drug addicted and unemployable, it absolves them from having to deal with or care about the problem.

 

I'm thinking climate plays a huge role in places like FL, CA, etc.

 

Homelessness Data & Trends

 

Nice trope man. Could you be more disconnected from reality? Can you think for yourself or do you just parrot Sean Hannity lines all day?

 

For the most part there isnt much of a difference in how Democrats or Republicans deal with the problem. Newsome and others ran to the right-wing courts so they could make encampments illegal and make it easier to arrest people. The preferred solution for everyone seems to be make it a problem for cops and jails to handle. They prefer an "out of sight, out of mind approach."

 

What he doesn't get is that these people hide from sight. They're embarrassed and don't want to be made fun of or harassed.

 

I think there are just a large number of people you wouldnt know are homeless or living out of their car temporarily. There are lots of other things like women trying to get out of abusive relationships too, things you wouldnt want to advertise to your coworkers.

 

I disagree with this for one reason. I have personally seen immigrants who will put 10, 15, 20 people into a 4 bedroom house. I know for a fact that the people in the townhome next to me (a 3 bedroom townhome), have up to 10 people living in it depending on the time of year. From what I've deducted talking to those neighbors, the guy and his wife who actually rent it are citizens, however the people who stay with them are either here illegally or on work visas. They have a screen up on part of their garage, I believe it is used as an additional bedroom.

A lot of these illegal immigrant families and groups will put an entire family in one bedroom and even convert common areas like the living room into another bedroom.

When you have 10, 15, 20 people paying in, paying $3,500/month is easy. Even if you go conservative and say it's split 10 way, that's $350/month. Meanwhile, an American family, even with dual incomes, simply can't compete.

You only talk about the supply problem, but we also need to address the demand problem. I don't care how many illegals are building new houses, illegal immigrants put more strain on the system than they contribute. Illegal immigrants overwhelm school systems, overburden hospitals and other medical resources and cause even more car and traffic congestions which then means the roads need more maintenance at quicker intervals and bigger expansions.

You can address the supply only so much. There's only a finite amount of land. I don't want to see the entire state of Florida turned into a concrete jungle, and that might be one thing you and me can agree on. I see all the forests and orange groves here in Florida that have been lost to development. We're not NYC, Texas or California yet, but we're going that way.

Again, whether you are a white, black, asian or ironically even a hispanic citizen, if you have a family, even with dual incomes, and you are competing against illegal immigrants cramming in 10, 15, 20 people to a home, the citizen can not compete.

And do not tell me I haven't seen it, because living in Florida I've seen it with my own two eyes, and more than once. I've even talked to immigrants (legal and illegal) who have admitted they are living in a house with 12 other people.

It's why I disagree with Elon and don't like the idea of more H-1B visas. All it does is let these Companies bring in third world people who will work for half the cost, and they can afford it because they are renting a home with 12 other people. The average American can't compete because they need an actual living wage.

Yes there is a supply problem, especially in places like Florida. But eventually we'll run out of room. We need to address the demand problem as well.

As long as illegals are coming in by the millions each, we will have no chance to ever catch up and make housing affordable again. The demand will always keep prices high and supply, even if it's being built at a robust pace, will never have a chance to keep up.