Homeless migration to RVs creating problems

[Durb]

There seems to be a trend for the homeless to get an old RV and live on the streets. County officials admit their hands are are tied as they do not have proper laws in place to deal with the problem. Nor do they have the proper funds. Our county estimates it costs $3,000 to tow and salvage an abandoned RV. Private landowners with RVers squatting on their property are also having problems. Towing companies will not remove the rigs as they know they won't get paid.

It looks to be a growing problem without an easy financial solution. Will we start seeing salvage taxes on our RV registration renewals?

[lots2seeinmyrv]

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.

[DallasSteve]

covered wagon wrote:

time2roll wrote:
SS was never intended to provide a living pension. Just a supplement to personal resources.

Going to get much worse before it improves.

Free food and free living makes for lazy folks with idle time for doing things they should not be doing. Be good if they required regular community service in order to earn the right for those benefits.

What did he say? free? lazy? earn? benefits?

FYI, I worked for over 40 years and those "benefits" were stolen from my paycheck under federal law supported by the people of this country. The total of what I and my employer "for I" paid into Social Security is around a half million dollars without interest added. If the government writes me a check for that amount plus interest then they can cancel the program and I'll take care of myself.

Steve

[JRscooby]

Matt_Colie wrote:

Well, if that is the case, then why did the prior administration use the abrogation of the bankruptcy laws to take away 28 years of crimping, saving with no big toys and no real vacations? In short, they destroyed those personal resources and I was not alone. But as a guy that got a lot of education and worked up to a nice position, I guess I was "RICH" and due to be fleeced.

It might of happened to you at that time, but this is not a case of "the black guy did it" Going back decades the bankruptcy courts have been screwing people that work for money in favor of people who's money works for them. And the major mess of my lifetime, and the bailouts to solve the problem where under way before Jan 2009.

[winniman]

Many more of the younger generation are getting discouraged due to the huge increases in housing prices. They can buy a rv, and live much cheaper than trying to pay their whole lives for a house. They are not homeless, they just don't have a house. I think this is one of the main reasons rv parks are getting so full. The other is the amount of baby boomers who are selling their big house, and downsizing into something mobile so they can follow the weather. There is no shortage of YouTube channels of rvers, young and old, trying to hit the road. I don't think all of them are making a living off YouTube. Perhaps some of them are, but there are literally thousands of them. Half of them are living in vans on the street, trying to make it look like an appealing lifestyle. These kids are going to have nothing when they get old. They are contributing nothing to their own future, and a lot of them are dragging kids around as well. This is a very unstable lifestyle to raise children. They will grow up never having a real friend, or a real place to call home.

[CA_Traveler]

Papa Steve wrote:
Near us, there was a huge homeless encampment of 700 people in a 3 mile stretch. Only 11% of those people said they wanted help. 58% were drug users, and the rest were mentally ill. Most didn't want shelters because of the rules: wake up, eat, go to bed, all at specific times. And of course, no drugs.
I live in Southern California, so I know how expensive big cities can be. I don't think we should be building shelters in places where real estate costs so much.

Maybe we should build a tent city in the desert and provide free food, water, porta-potties, showers, and even drugs. Bus the people there that don't want to do anything except get high. Has to be cheaper than building new shelters, or even cleaning up encampments. BTW, Los Angeles spent $36,000,000 this year just cleaning up places only to have the homeless move back within an hour.

Comments?

The Seattle Is Dying professional video Click is informative and worth watching. It gives a lot of insight into the problem and a significant solution by one state. It’s long and makes the case that the root problem is drugs followed by lack of solutions.

My SIL works in Seattle and the video is factual. My son recently visited San Francisco with an even worst problem. He was in a tourist area kicking needles off the sidewalk so his kids would not step on them. He won’t go back.

This video is well worth the time to watch IMHO.

[colliehauler]

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.

Matt where I live is next to my name. While my home has increased in value with the improvements I've made I would break even, if you add in the Banks interest rate would probably be upside down. I have lived her for 33 years so if I paid rent I think It would have been a lot more in housing cost. Sorry you got a raw deal.

[Papa_Steve]

CA Traveler wrote:
Watch the uTube video Seattle is Dying for a larger perspective of the problem which includes RVs.

Thanks for posting this. I just watched it and now think we should try the Rhode Island approach, enforcement and intervention, in some of the larger cities. good documentary

[time2roll]

Yes my original comment was on SS. So be glad that is holding up so far. In 15 years SS could also get a 20% haircut.

Yes working in the auto industry and investing in auto industry bonds probably seemed like a slam dunk at the time. Ended up with too many eggs in one basket. Borderline fraud if you were lead into that position. Today is just water under the bridge. Far too common actually, you are not alone.

[Matt_Colie]

Did you lose your pension due to your company you worked for 28 years went BK? Sorry to hear that. Been happening to a lot of people and more to come.

All the more reason to embrace the 401k, IRA etc plans that you can control and cannot be taken (yet).

Did you not pay into SS?
Yes, I paid dearly into SS. The current value of that account the day I retired (using confirmed models) was 1.3E6$us. Because I had no choice but to start collection sooner than planned, I only have to live to be about 118 to break even.

A large portion of those savings were put into a private plan that was largely auto-company corporate bonds. Corporate bonds used to be no more than an inflation hedge. Even in bankruptcies, those bonds were treated as real property - like I owned a building or a huge stamping press or something - and in the event of bankruptcy, there would be value after liquidation. Well, they couldn't just wipe them out like common stock, they decided that they could "buy" them from us at about 5¢/$. But, the filing fee to get that 5¢ was 3¢ and I would still have to pay the plan administrator to collect that. That was how they rewarded the union for their support.

I did collect some small pensions, but the laws about that were different than they are now for most of my working time. Vesting took decades and companies kept track and if you got too close to vesting, you would get "RIF"fed. (That means canned through no fault of your own and that is supposed to make you feel batter.) Then, you are a 60+ white technical guy that nobody dare hire because you don't help their "Diversity" at all. You just happen to have years of experience that they can use. So, they bring you on as a "consultant" and you may get a lot per hour, but hours are irregular and you have to pay all the taxes that an employer would pay (look that one up).

Not all my investment were lost, but I was counting on some land that we purchased (see above) and some other things.

We will still be traveling as long as I am capable of keeping the coach in good order. So, things are not as grim for us as may be for others that I know. I do my best to not sound bitter in my outside contacts.

[joelc]

The public should not judge someones RV by the age. I does not matter if it was the first one invented it does not matter as long as it has been maintained. As for homeless persons: some prefer to be homeless and others are homeless due to loss of job, home or other economic reasons. It is not us to judge. Those that live in an RV FULL TIME are actually "homeless". We have incomes or can work and that is what we choose and are not a burden on society. Those that are homeless that don't want or can't work are those that society must address. How I don't know. But there are shelters. Although, some don't want to take advantage of shelters either. What I am saying is those of us who choose to RV in any manner should be smart enough not to park on a street. Enough said.

The Moderator will not cut this thread as long as it is kept friendly and sensible without attacking members. Opinions and discussions is what is beneficial to all.

[colliehauler]

JRscooby 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.

Yes, a retired person can sell their house, buy one dirt cheap in a small town in say Kansas. But what is the cost, that can not be expressed in dollars, to move away from the friends, church, entertainment? Then there is the fact older people need accesses to medical care, and small town hospitals are closing. As we age, driving becomes a issue. If it is a 10 mile round trip to get groceries, even if you need to change buses a couple of times. But what if the trip is 100 miles, and there are no buses?
I agree the politicians will not solve the immigration, but if the ones in power wanted to it would take no change in laws, just a change in how/which laws are enforced. It could be done before the next election.

When my Dad passed away I bought a small house in my town for her. By this time most of her friends had passed away. Our town has quality medical care. They also have a senior bus that is subsidized to take seniors to and from appointments at very little cost. They also have a senior center where they can enjoy a quality meal Monday thru Friday. The senior center also provides camaraderie of people in the same age bracket to visit with. The senior center utilize the same bus to pick up people for lunch and back home. They also have trips to Walmart and Kroger along with field trips to surrounding small towns. Even without a car Mom had quality of life until she passed. Forgot she attended a church less then a block away from her house and they picked her up and dropped her off.

Forgot to add one of Mom's favorite things to do was sit out on the front deck and have coffee with friends she met in the new neighborhood (Same age group). The house originally had a tiny porch. Some friends drove up from DFW metroplex and we built a deck on the front of the house.

[Matt_Colie]

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.

[Cloud_Dancer]

In order to have a chance of solving the problem we need to borrow a trillion dollars, except we can NOT put the usual agencies in charge. We know THAT doesn't work. I have the brains to handle it, except I'm too old. Besides, I don't trust anyone. And, I believe someone said I was deplorable. So, who shall we trust, with our debt?

[ryoung]

CA Traveler wrote:
Watch the uTube video Seattle is Dying for a larger perspective of the problem which includes RVs.

Thanks for posting this link to the YouTube video.

I viewed it and was enlightened about the causes and a solution to the growing problem.

ryoung

[time2roll]

Matt_Colie wrote:

time2roll wrote:
SS was never intended to provide a living pension. Just a supplement to personal resources.

Going to get much worse before it improves.

Well, if that is the case, then why did the prior administration use the abrogation of the bankruptcy laws to take away 28 years of crimping, saving with no big toys and no real vacations? In short, they destroyed those personal resources and I was not alone. But as a guy that got a lot of education and worked up to a nice position, I guess I was "RICH" and due to be fleeced.

Did you lose your pension due to your company you worked for 28 years went BK? Sorry to hear that. Been happening to a lot of people and more to come.

All the more reason to embrace the 401k, IRA etc plans that you can control and cannot be taken (yet).

Did you not pay into SS?