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A count of our local homeless indicates that HALF are from out of state. Now, since druggie vagrants are a particular class of homeless who tend to ride the rails, panhandle and steal for drug and alcohol money (while general homeless include non-druggies down on their luck who do not steal and generally offend less or not at all) the % of vagrants from out of state is probably much higher than the % of all homeless. However, homeless counts do not have the fidelity to determine the difference.
Also, the counts depend on information related by the homeless, so there's probably a good % who lie about being local, since it garneres more sympathy.
If we could secure our border with other states to keep vagrants out, we could cut our theiving, destructive, dangerous population of ne'er do wells by at least half!
Where do you live?
Homeless transience is a rabid, and disproven, myth. Counts in San Diego, LA, and San Francisco, as well as all across the nation, all report their homeless to be local residents in the range of 90%, give or take a few % (SF is about 85%) ... LA, for one example, reports 65% having been “locals” for 20 years or more prior to homelessness; another 15% having lived locally for 10-20 years; another 10% for 5-10 years.
Homeless persons having been born and or raised elsewhere decades past is meaningless. We live in a highly mobile culture and era. The vast majority of people who end up on the streets lived and worked and were housed in the region where they subsequently became homeless.
A massive study of homeless veterans utilizing services was conducted by the VA that included tracking transience. This sub-group, which has the greatest opportunity for transient mobility due to availability of more support programs than the non-veteran homeless, was found to be only 15% transient.
The accusation of “lying” is also curious given that there are no qualifiers for assistance - or punishments - to any homeless anywhere in the nation based on geographical origins. “Sympathy” plays exactly zero role in any function.
All said above relates to total homeless populations.
Homeless transience is a rabid, and disproven, myth. Counts in San Diego, LA, and San Francisco, as well as all across the nation, all report their homeless to be local residents in the range of 90%, give or take a few % (SF is about 85%) ... LA, for one example, reports 65% having been “locals” for 20 years or more prior to homelessness; another 15% having lived locally for 10-20 years; another 10% for 5-10 years.
Homeless persons having been born and or raised elsewhere decades past is meaningless. We live in a highly mobile culture and era. The vast majority of people who end up on the streets lived and worked and were housed in the region where they subsequently became homeless.
A massive study of homeless veterans utilizing services was conducted by the VA that included tracking transience. This sub-group, which has the greatest opportunity for transient mobility due to availability of more support programs than the non-veteran homeless, was found to be only 15% transient.
The accusation of “lying” is also curious given that there are no qualifiers for assistance - or punishments - to any homeless anywhere in the nation based on geographical origins. “Sympathy” plays exactly zero role in any function.
All said above relates to total homeless populations.
I think wac_432 is from Ventura County and they accurately cited the statistics from the latest homeless count, it surprised me too but here's what it says:
Quote:
How Long Living in Ventura County
How long in months have you been living in this community? (n=512)
• 52.5% or 269 persons stated 60 months or less (less than 5 years;
• 47.5% or 243 persons stated 60 months or more (5 years or more).
Of the 269 persons who stated 60 months or less,
• 51.2% or 139 of the 269 persons stated 12 months or less;
• 70.3% or 189 of the 269 persons stated 24 months or less;
• 91.7% or 245 of the 269 persons stated 36 months or less;
12 http://www.venturacoc.org/images/201...port-Final.pdf
"The accusation of “lying” is also curious given that there are no qualifiers for assistance - or punishments - to any homeless anywhere in the nation based on geographical origins. “Sympathy” plays exactly zero role in any function."
Have you spent much time with unhoused? Of course claiming to be a down on your luck local becomes a part of your personal when your sleeping rough and writing/repeating that story to sympathetic ears attached to wallets at gas stations, sidewalks, etc.
Don't take calling a spade a spade as some sort of anti-homeless crusade. The majority of homeless (vagrants included) don't hurt anybody, and every human deserves a helping hand.
However, I'm sick of families in other states shipping their problem children to California and then blaming our illegals for the high homeless population. That's 100% BS.
High housing costs play a part, but the elephant in the room is the US culture of using CA as a dumping ground.
I think wac_432 is from Ventura County and they accurately cited the statistics from the latest homeless count, it surprised me too but here's what it says:
Ah. Well, the missing detail there is the specificity of the question. Appears it is limited to “Ventura”, thus disallowing that some % are from the region including Los Angeles. When the counts from around the state and nation are analyzed in detail, they typically reveal that the 10%-15% range of transience is credited to “out-of-state” homeless arrivals ... which is where most people make the mistaken assumption that homeless are arriving from around the country to “take advantage of California weather, etc”.
I suspect Ventura is no different than all other cities when region is substituted for specific city only.
"The accusation of “lying” is also curious given that there are no qualifiers for assistance - or punishments - to any homeless anywhere in the nation based on geographical origins. “Sympathy” plays exactly zero role in any function."
Have you spent much time with unhoused? Of course claiming to be a down on your luck local becomes a part of your personal when your sleeping rough and writing/repeating that story to sympathetic ears attached to wallets at gas stations, sidewalks, etc.
Don't take calling a spade a spade as some sort of anti-homeless crusade. The majority of homeless (vagrants included) don't hurt anybody, and every human deserves a helping hand.
However, I'm sick of families in other states shipping their problem children to California and then blaming our illegals for the high homeless population. That's 100% BS.
High housing costs play a part, but the elephant in the room is the US culture of using CA as a dumping ground.
The answer to your question in bold above is: yes. For over 30 years I have been involved in assisting veterans (mostly, as I am one ... but some non-vets as well) with evictions and housing counsel, suicide and substance abuse counseling, and medical and general benefits acquisition. I also participate with a veterans organization that runs a couple of transitional housing buildings for homeless veterans in recovery. And I have heard a lot of stories ... which include transience as well as local origins.
The only “families in other states shipping their problem children to California“ that I am aware of in any numbers are those sent to private drug / alcohol recovery centers. Success outcomes of which run in the 10% range (dismal) which in turn results in a number of the failures remaining in California. Though this happens, and articles have been in the media decrying it, the numbers when applied against our homeless populations are statistically insignificant.
Illegals, on the other hand, do make a statistically significant mark ... which is not to say they are anything near a majority.
High housing cost IS the elephant in the room. Not “dumping”. There is no more “dumping” of homeless in California than California dumps elsewhere. I know these “family reunification” programs. They do what they can to repatriate homeless to supportive opportunity all over. If there was any real opportunity to dump here anymore than anywhere else - there wouldn’t be massive homeless populations in NYC, Wash.DC, Seattle, Portland, Honolulu, Phoenix, Austin, Chicago, Baltimore ... etc etc etc.
Retired alcoholic seniors on Social Security can rent a bedroom in a friend’s single wide in Alabama for a couple hundred (or less) dollars a month and get by on their $1200 monthly check. In LA / Ventura that person can’t find a closet to sleep in for $200 a month. Low cost housing options are all but gone now.
Actually, from what I'm hearing, the mandate penalties are what will pay for that. At least that's what was reported on the news last week. Maybe they're wrong. Who knows.
Just like when the Raiders came back to Oakland with the agreement the stadium would be reconfigured taxpayer money would be offset by selling PSL...
Well the Raiders just left the taxpayers holding the bag for 65 million.
Got to love it when the politician's promises are paid for by taxpayers... to the tune of millions!
And this is just one of many "Property Taxes" outside of Prop 13...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 12-22-2019 at 12:47 PM..
Pretty sure businesses are going to abandon the nation’s (and one of the world’s) largest and most lucrative markets, eh? Lol. (They haven't so far. More businesses open / expand in California every year than move out / close down.)
Brilliant.
The Bay Area is losing some longtime big players... like Bechtal. McKesson, Schwab, North Face... it does sting when the big guys leave... I have friends working in the above mentioned companies and they either retired or moved with the company...
In reality there are several reasons why undocumented come to America ... “free ride” is very low on the list and for a very small %.
Escaping oppressive conditions and seeking opportunity (and willing to work hard to earn it) lead the list.
I have a pretty hard stance against immigration of all kinds. But truth is truth. Most immigrants, including illegals, make the best citizens. They value their new life and opportunity, as opposed to feeling entitled to security and benefits of citizenship by virtue of nothing more than being born here.
The best policy would be to require even born Americans to earn citizenship through service of one kind or another.
Central America is where most of my non-native born friends have come from... collectively they have said you can't understand the pull of America to the young and ambitious... all have legal status and built careers but it has been anything but easy... a few have said if they knew just how hard it was going to be they would not have come...
There is also the huge perception back home that since they live in the United States they "Must" be well off and sending money home is the norm...
The Bay Area is losing some longtime big players... like Bechtal. McKesson, Schwab, North Face... it does sting when the big guys leave... I have friends working in the above mentioned companies and they either retired or moved with the company...
Doesn’t sting me in the slightest. Wish more would leave. The state was full 50 years ago at 1/2 the population and even less than 1/2 the business levels. Increases since then haven’t added a bit of quality more. (Except as you once observed: to increase the organ donor pool.)
People and companies come and go. All the time. Everywhere. Businesses have to adapt and change to what works best for them. When California isn't right anymore they go. .... and others come in and take the available space.
Observe and ponder: most Nebraskans are really happy living in Nebraska even though it’s not number 1 in anything but corn fields.
Happiness and satisfaction are possible without engaging in rat racing and termite mound building.
Please be careful when it comes to voting in favor of repealing Prop. 13 for commercial real estate. That is just the appetizer. The main meal comes next when the residential sector is penalized. The hunger of our government for more revenue is insatiable.
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