Watching a whole bunch of videos about how different cities and regions are doing the other day, this video popped up in the side results. Although it focuses on Los Angeles, the basic themes should be the same in most major cities at this point. Billions of dollars are now being spent nationwide "to combat homelessness" in major cities. Those billions are your tax (and inflation) dollars, and the number of homeless people keeps rising. This video does a good job of explaining how convoluted the homelessness programs and "housing" services are these days, and why the numbers of homeless don't go down that much. In L.A., the number of homeless people went up significantly last year. It doesn't matter who the mayor and city council members are of these cities, the problem will continue to get worse.
I could write a book about homelessness in the U.S. today, since I've experienced so many aspects of it, and could research the other aspects. But I don't want to write that book, because it wouldn't do any good. The incredibly expensive current programs, which are very lucrative for a handful of people and businesses, non-profit entities, will just keep going in the direction it's already going.
There are more spare bedrooms in the U.S. than there are homeless people. There are more empty, livable houses in the U.S., right now, than there are homeless people. We could house all the homeless, in humane conditions, for less money than is being spent right now on homelessness in major cities. It's completely possible, but it's not politically palatable. Bureaucracy, the status quo, and the businesses and non-profits now profiting, get in the way.
In fact, at this point, the solution to homelessness in the U.S. is Extended Stay America hotels, run by Extended Stay America, or a comparable business, not run by non-profits and slumlords. L.A. (and at least a handful of other major cities) could house there entire homeless people in Extended Stay America hotels, one person per suite, for less money per person, per night, then they are spending right now, keeping the homeless people on the streets. It's cheaper to house a homeless person in an Extended Stay America room, and give them food stamps to buy food, than it is to house them in homeless "tiny homes." This article has the costs of L.A.'s tiny homes. If you double up couples, single mom or dad families, and people who could live as roommates together in a suite, it's would be totally possible, and considerably cheaper, to house the current homeless people that way. But that would end the huge income streams to certain businesses, non-profit entities, and people, that now exists. So it won't happen. It would also remove homelessness as the political football that it now is in many cities.
One more thing. The current homeless "housing system" DOES NOT get homeless people back on their feet, earning a living income, renting their own apartments, and paying taxes again. Yes, there are a lot of homeless that won't ever be able to work, and the current programs house some of them. But there are a lot that could earn a living again, including many living in cars or other working homeless. The current system is designed to create a separate population of adults, who are entirely dependent on government programs, for the rest of their lives. There are already 7 million to maybe 10 million people living off of Social Security Disability, SSI, and other social programs, who have scammed the system, and will never work again. Just go visit the states of Kentucky and West Virginia, stop in a small, local restaurant, and ask what most people do for a living. "Disability" will be one of the first answers. That's the nature of the system currently in effect. I first learned about this while living in North Carolina, and have seen it in Virginia and here in California since. The only academic I've seen looking into this issue is Nicolas Eberstadt, who wrote a book about it, Men Without Work, in 2016, and there's now an updated, 2022 version out.
For those of you interested, this video explains the basic systems in place really well, and may help you begin to understand why the homelessness issue just keeps getting worse, and will continue to get worse as the recession really sets in.
Just to be absolutely clear. THIS costs less money per day than THIS. I know there are not enough Extended Stay America's, or comparable suite hotels, in any of these cities to house all the homeless, and I'm not pitching this company. I'm making the comparison on what kind of amenities can be rented for the same, or less money, than the places homeless people are currently housed.
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