Homeless migration to RVs creating problems

'homeless' is a group of problems. Need a separate solution for each.

westernrvparkowner wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
However, the homeless crisis is less about all that, IMO. IDK what the causes are. All the mentally ill congregate in certain cities??
People getting lazier? IDK
It's sure as heck not the economy and hasn't been for a long time.

The recent phenomenon of old RVs becoming urban homeless shelters is, every year there are more/newer RVs that still are "useable" but not road worthy. (Back in the whatever 70s-90s, there weren't the number of RVs that were old, because it was a newer industry.)
Makes sense, I'd live in a leaky RV with a bad engine before living under a bridge!

I think you may have hit the nail directly on the head. It is probably made even worse by the fact that disposing of a used RV usually involves a cost. You can take a car or truck to a wrecking yard and get a few bucks. An RV, not way. They don't want it. Take it to a landfill operation and they are going to have both requirements and conditions (no paper inside, No refrigerant in the refrigerator or AC units, only take them on the third Wednesday of certain months, etc) and will charge a fee, which in my experience is in the hundreds of dollars. Better to give it away and it eventually makes it way to the homeless communities usually by someone who thinks they are doing a good thing.
The homeless problem is one without a solution. Like others have said, most are either mentally ill, highly addicted to drugs and alcohol or just plain willing to live that life. Our society is not willing to involuntarily commit the ill and addicted. We can't suddenly make someone want to work and pay rent. We increasingly decide as a society to not rigorously enforce vagrancy laws and the like and when we do, it just moves the problem, it doesn't provide a solution. Even giving people housing doesn't work, our history with public housing proves that.
For most communities that have severe homeless problems the actually driving force is climate. It's more pleasant to be homeless in San Francisco than it is in Chicago. And once again society has decided that changing climate is also bad public policy, so homelessness in cities such as LA, San Francisco, Portland etc. will continue without an answer.

I think you are overlooking the large percentage the homeless that are employed, but with low pay, student loans, high cost child care for unpredictable hours, rent is out of their budget.

Grit dog wrote:
However, the homeless crisis is less about all that, IMO. IDK what the causes are. All the mentally ill congregate in certain cities??
People getting lazier? IDK
It's sure as heck not the economy and hasn't been for a long time.

The recent phenomenon of old RVs becoming urban homeless shelters is, every year there are more/newer RVs that still are "useable" but not road worthy. (Back in the whatever 70s-90s, there weren't the number of RVs that were old, because it was a newer industry.)
Makes sense, I'd live in a leaky RV with a bad engine before living under a bridge!

I think you may have hit the nail directly on the head. It is probably made even worse by the fact that disposing of a used RV usually involves a cost. You can take a car or truck to a wrecking yard and get a few bucks. An RV, not way. They don't want it. Take it to a landfill operation and they are going to have both requirements and conditions (no paper inside, No refrigerant in the refrigerator or AC units, only take them on the third Wednesday of certain months, etc) and will charge a fee, which in my experience is in the hundreds of dollars. Better to give it away and it eventually makes it way to the homeless communities usually by someone who thinks they are doing a good thing.
The homeless problem is one without a solution. Like others have said, most are either mentally ill, highly addicted to drugs and alcohol or just plain willing to live that life. Our society is not willing to involuntarily commit the ill and addicted. We can't suddenly make someone want to work and pay rent. We increasingly decide as a society to not rigorously enforce vagrancy laws and the like and when we do, it just moves the problem, it doesn't provide a solution. Even giving people housing doesn't work, our history with public housing proves that.
For most communities that have severe homeless problems the actually driving force is climate. It's more pleasant to be homeless in San Francisco than it is in Chicago. And once again society has decided that changing climate is also bad public policy, so homelessness in cities such as LA, San Francisco, Portland etc. will continue without an answer.

There are hundreds of old, decrepit RV's on the street in Los Angeles.
I see them virtually every day.
It is not "fake news" around here.
Maybe in your location it is different.

This whole thread is built on a unproven and likely false narrative - homeless people are buying RV's and living on the streets. The incidence is probably less then 1%. In other words "Fake News"

However, the homeless crisis is less about all that, IMO. IDK what the causes are. All the mentally ill congregate in certain cities??
People getting lazier? IDK
It's sure as heck not the economy and hasn't been for a long time.

The recent phenomenon of old RVs becoming urban homeless shelters is, every year there are more/newer RVs that still are "useable" but not road worthy. (Back in the whatever 70s-90s, there weren't the number of RVs that were old, because it was a newer industry.)
Makes sense, I'd live in a leaky RV with a bad engine before living under a bridge!

westernrvparkowner wrote:
There is virtually no way a home you purchased 28 years ago has not appreciated in value provided you have done reasonable maintenance. I just don't believe you have your facts correct.

In general, you're correct. Buy a home, it's an investment, right?
BUT there are plenty of areas in this country that home and property values have been steadily decreasing for many years now.
Not talking ups u downs of the economy, talking steady decline.
One area I'm very familiar with and has not been financially prosperous for us, or the folks that live there is Northern WI.
I built a house there, nice custom log home, 2600sf + walkout unfinished basement on 2+ acres, on a lake close to town, power/phone/cable, paved road.
Cost of building the house was right at $200k labor, materials and subs. Cost to build it with fee/markup would have been about $240k.
House was completed exactly 19 years ago.
The next year it was assessed for $335k!! Woohoo, great, right?
Well that was BS. It steadily declined from there. About 5 years ago the tax assessment was down to about $290k. Still BS. Finally got the township to drop it to $225k but it took some serious work, badgering, applications, providing sales data, etc. I did this all because noone would buy it with such a high tax value.
Finally sold it a couple years ago. Took over a year to sell, got about $200k. $197k to be exact because the buyers knew it was them or noone, so they low balled, then re-nigged, then walked away, then came back etc until they squeezed everything out they could.

Oh, and it was well maintained, highest quality building materials, 40yr shingles, well kept wood work, top $ wood windows, R32/R50 insulation, 200A service. Only thing it lacked was fancy landscaping and a paved driveway.

Matt Colie, sounds like he got hosed by the UAW and the economy in SE Michigan. Not unlike other areas WV, AR, upper midwest, where thriving industry died and those that didn't leave die with it.

If we'd stayed in N WI 19 years ago, we'd be alive, we'd probably be debt free similar to now, but our net worth would be about 20% of what it is currently. Seriously.
Beautiful place to live if you're retired, already have money or don't want to have money....

Matt_Colie wrote:

colliehauler wrote:
Prices have always increased on homes in the long run. Supply and demand. A lot of homes in small towns with lack of jobs can be bought dirt cheap. For a retired person who does not depend on employment this can be a good deal. There are several list of states and towns that are the best places to retire along with the most expensive places to retire. Illegal immigrants compound the housing issue but certain people choose not to address the issue. Until these people are voted out I don't see things changing.

I don't know where you live, but we have been buying this house from the bank for 28 years. We bought when the market was pretty stable, but then came the depression that the prior administration built a fire under. (Anybody that has looked at the county's history would know that the same things that were done by FDR that extended that depression for an additional three (maybe more) years is what was done again.)
Today, I could sell out home and not get back what we paid for it in cash value (not even thinking about the interest over near 30 years). Everybody wants a piece of the rich old people that only worked hard for years to live so "easily" now.
If you perchance think I may be a little bitter, that just means that you are observant.

There is virtually no way a home you purchased 28 years ago has not appreciated in value provided you have done reasonable maintenance. I just don't believe you have your facts correct.

IMHO, we can go a long way in solving the affordable housing problem by taking care of ourselves first. I'm not talking about isolationism, just prioritizing where we spend tax dollars.

It's not just tax dollars either. Celebs walk by Americans living on the street on their way to shoot a commercial to jerk our tears with pictures of deformed poor kids in some other country. Or the people who won't give a street person a few bucks on their way to stand in line overnight to spend $700 on a frickin' phone.

We can't solve it all, but we can at least help those who are down on their luck with a leg up. I had one as a young person and it made the world of difference to me.

Watched the video. Horrific. This is spreading like wildfire across our Nation.

I am concerned about diseases, virus, plague if this is not addressed.

That is why I say no more immigration from anywhere. We have our own backyard to clean up. Stop adding millions more to the problem. We cannot afford to live here and we cannot continue to pay their bills too.

Many people "choose" this lifestyle. We do not "choose" to be subject to it. Nor should we tolerate it. These elected officials are not doing their job to stop this nor are the Judges who let them out.

We have plenty of Federal Land in NV, NM, and all over. Set up Federal Tent Cities, keep costs down, set up Rehab there. They have to WORK and be given chores to earn their treatment and expenses. They have to complete on-line courses. Keep them busy. No free ride.

Taxpayers are sick and tired of paying for all these free programs out of our paychecks.

The violent criminals...put in Seperate Tent Cities. Our jails and prisons are overcrowded, many are because of all the foreigners coming here. They cost us a fortune.

Short of putting them on Leper Island to get them out of our misery and theirs, Federal Tent City makes the most sense. No amenities and no Club Med!

As far as the ones who need to "Get on Their Feet", start a pilot program "Get on Your Feet". Build the Studio Containers on abandoned lots on bus lines. They can live in the Container for 12 months, have to work 2 hours every week to maintain the property. Have to work and have half their pay put in Escrow for when the 12 months is up. No more babies, mandatory birth control. They have to move on after 12 months. No more lifetime of generations of poverty living off the backs of taxpayers.