Rv's are the new housing.

gbopp wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
Until we as a society stop blaming people and start simply helping them, I agree there is no solution.

One problem is, with many who need help, the more we help the more 'entitlements' they expect and demand.

I often wonder how a CCC program would work in the 21st Century.

So we don't help because they might want more? Providing them with the help they need doesn't mean we have to give them everything they want.

pianotuna wrote:
westernrvparkowner,

Are you seriously saying that 500,000 folks are homeless just in California? If so, what a mess.

That is nationwide in the US. That amounts to around .15% of the population. That doesn't mean that all 500,000 are living in cardboard boxes. Any estimation of the "homeless" population involves some fuzzy math and assumptions of what actually constitutes homelessness.
California will attract a lion's share of the homeless. California has laws that have the unintended effect of promoting homelessness. Examples are laws that protect panhandling, prevent actions that move the homeless out of public areas, tolerance for public drug use and alcohol abuse and a social infrastructure that provides a safety net when needed, thus allowing the homeless to rebound and return to their ways when their personal crisis passes. Plus, the state's climate is very temperate and favorable for the homeless. And California has the greatest population of any state to begin with.

westernrvparkowner,

Are you seriously saying that 500,000 folks are homeless just in California? If so, what a mess.

There is a question of where you are helping them, or caging them.
Kali has allowed the homeless, the mentally incapable, and the indigent to co-mingle with huge numbers who should not be here. Now the lines between the groups are nearly indistinguishable. And you cant really help one group without impacting the others.

If you want a human created disaster, this is about as close as it gets.

gbopp wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
Until we as a society stop blaming people and start simply helping them, I agree there is no solution.

One problem is, with many who need help, the more we help the more 'entitlements' they expect and demand.

I often wonder how a CCC program would work in the 21st Century.

The federal government alone spent approximately $2.5 Billion on programs for the homeless in 2018. That would be $58,000 for each of those 43,000 homeless quoted in this thread. A more accurate accounting of homeless is around 500,000 making government spending around $5,000 per person. That amount doesn't include the billions spent by private charities, organizations, state and local governments, individuals and the like. That, to me, shows we are actually applying substantial aid and not just blaming the homeless. But like I posted earlier, maybe we need to also realize that it might not be possible to completely eliminate homelessness. Sadly and perhaps counter intuitive to conventional thinking, some people are homeless by not well considered personal choice.

pianotuna wrote:
Frightening to me that over 43 thousand folks have NO place at all to stay--not even a car. My heart goes out to them.

It is mostly the homeless kids that makes my heart ache.

toedtoes wrote:
Until we as a society stop blaming people and start simply helping them, I agree there is no solution.

One problem is, with many who need help, the more we help the more 'entitlements' they expect and demand.

I often wonder how a CCC program would work in the 21st Century.

Due to bandwidth issues I can't read the article. and though I'm not in California (was once. well twice. well 3 times but once I did not stop. and the other two only for a short time)

I live in a motor home because when I had a house I paid like 200+ per month for Gas and Electric, about 50/month for water/sewer and over 3 grand in Taxes oh and 15/month for DSL.. or 100 for phone + DSL when I had a land line. PLUS my Cells. (I wont post how much)

Today I pay 90/month for Electric, water and sewer in the summer. 200 in the winter WI-FI included. and less than 500 in property tax (Vehicle registration) So I buy oh perhaps 2000 more in gasoline during the yer, 3000 more if I do a LOT of traveling (I hope to do a bit more this year)

But WOW the savings.. I mean a tank of gas a month just on utilities.

Oh the cell phone. Still pay for that.

Assisted suicide should enter the discussion, but not here......

Chainwright wrote:
Hmmm, My problem is with Property taxes. in Texas we have the 3rd highest property tax rates in the nation. Yup, Texas keeps advertising:"Come to Texas, where housing is cheap," and I laugh. Yeah you may be able to buy a home for 200K which in Cali could run you 800K to 1M+ as in NYC. But, what is not advertised is that you Property taxes go up between .5% to 1% (i'm being nice) per yr. So on a 200k house you start out paing 8000+ a yr in property taxes. We're paying 14K right now. But out of principle we don't see why we should. To us it's outrageous. Just imagine all those folks that live in homes that were Passed down to them from generation to generation, what do you tell them? "sorry, Too bad." "Your family didn't leave you enough money to pay for taxes in the future? well you gotta sell and git." As a retired vet, that's definitely NOT what I fought for.

The average effective property tax rate in Texas is 1.86% The taxes on your $200,000 house should be around $3700.00, not $14,000. If your relatives bought that home for $200K and it's value has risen to just over $750,000 (the valuation needed for property tax to be $14,000 per year) and you inherited that house, they have left you more than enough valuation to pay that $14,000. If you don't want to live there, sell and pocket that profits. If those same relatives kept borrowing and refinancing and actually have no equity and no other assets, the law does not transfer that tax liability to you, let the probate court sort it out and you walk away with what you had before they died, nothing. The actual fact is Texas has the 33rd highest total tax burden among the 50 states. So yes, it would make economic tax sense for people in 32 states to move to Texas and the powers to be in Texas thinks it makes sense to promote that fact.