Homeless Survey (Fort Collins, Manitou Springs: rent, appliances, hotel)

[Vision67]

One way to eliminate homelessness is to give them a a house: One solution that seems particularly workable for Sonoma County is providing tiny homes for the homeless. (There are three tiny-house communities run by and for homeless people in at least three states; they offer a mix of transitional and permanent housing.) These 200- to 500-square-foot houses are affordable ($15,000–$30,000) and energy efficient, and they align well with Sonoma County's long-term plan for affordable housing, Program 41, which proposes using "non-traditional structures for housing.

http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/tak...nt?oid=2728293

That's cheaper than an endless loop through emergency rooms and jail calls.

[lurtsman]

I'm just face palming at some of the posts.

SLC ran a homeless shelter program that put homeless people into real homes (small apartments) and provided job counseling services to help them get minimum wage jobs and turn their life around. Despite all the arguments that it wouldn't work, the program has been a smashing success. The homeless were effectively removed from the streets by turning them into people with homes and having the support system in place has been much cheaper than paying for ER visits and incarceration.

50 years ago it was possible for someone to get canned and get a new job on the drive home. Today we have a massive system in place to prevent people from finding jobs effectively. Where the internet was supposed to connect people, it became a maze of automated resume screening technology that prevents people with no networking ability or resume building experience from finding good jobs. If someone is good at building widgets but does not have connections or know how to build a resume, they will struggle to find a job applying their "widget building" skill.

As for the homeless in our city, I would like to see policies in place to prevent any attempt to camp on public ground.

[BornintheSprings]

Originally Posted by Vision67

One way to eliminate homelessness is to give them a a house: One solution that seems particularly workable for Sonoma County is providing tiny homes for the homeless. (There are three tiny-house communities run by and for homeless people in at least three states; they offer a mix of transitional and permanent housing.) These 200- to 500-square-foot houses are affordable ($15,000–$30,000) and energy efficient, and they align well with Sonoma County's long-term plan for affordable housing, Program 41, which proposes using "non-traditional structures for housing.

http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/tak...nt?oid=2728293

That's cheaper than an endless loop through emergency rooms and jail calls.

Wait so they just get a free house that's absurd. What incentive is there for them to actually get out of poverty then? That kind of socialist nonsense needs to go.

[Vision67]

Read this:

The Shockingly Simple, Surprisingly Cost-Effective Way to End Homelessness | Mother Jones

Do you know a better solution?

[allprolab]

Originally Posted by BornintheSprings

Wait so they just get a free house that's absurd. What incentive is there for them to actually get out of poverty then? That kind of socialist nonsense needs to go.

Actually your line of thinking is what needs to go. You still can't come up with a solution that would make a positive effect.

[BornintheSprings]

Originally Posted by allprolab

Actually your line of thinking is what needs to go. You still can't come up with a solution that would make a positive effect.

I have a "final" solution in mind. Its called stop whining and expecting a free handout.

[shanen]

Kill them all!

/sarcasm

[allprolab]

Originally Posted by BornintheSprings

I have a "final" solution in mind. Its called stop whining and expecting a free handout.

Didn't you say you want to move to NY? Have fun with the actual homeless problem they have. The homeless "problem" here isn't even a small fraction of what goes on there. I hope it bugs you immensely to see them.

Maybe one day you'll take your head out of that R hole and see how your stagnated way of thinking isn't doing any of the good you think it is.

[mollygee]

Originally Posted by BornintheSprings

Wait so they just get a free house that's absurd. What incentive is there for them to actually get out of poverty then? That kind of socialist nonsense needs to go.

People just don't become homeless; it's not something we choose; oh yeah, I am sitting around thinking, "what am I going to do with my life; maybe I could be homeless?" No, something happens; disasters. illness, death of a loved one, wars, come on, life is not always kind or easy to lift yourself back up!

There are so many reasons someone may be without a home. Whole families are out of a decent place to live at times.

There was a special on TV; how homes/apartments, were available for people to rent at low rates; then people were able to get back on their feet and get reasonable employment. It is hard to search for a job when you have no decent clothes on your back, no food in your belly no shower...............come on, we all need a little help at certain times of our lives.............women running away from abusive relationships, kids too. There are lots of reasons, sad, but true.

Years ago, I knew a woman with 3 little kids, that had to leave all of her furniture and worldly goods, behind. She had to run for her life. Her husband beat her and terrorized her beyond belief; she did have family that helped her some; but what IF there was no one to help? She had a hard life, sad to say. She was always optimistic, never seemed to lose her sense of humor, she was a real survivor, always taking care of her kids.

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by BornintheSprings

Wait so they just get a free house that's absurd. What incentive is there for them to actually get out of poverty then? That kind of socialist nonsense needs to go.

In SLC where they give a "free apartment" to the homeless, the projections about "lack of incentive" all turned out to be fruitless. Many of the homeless were able to get jobs (with help in the application process from a social worker) and made plans to keep moving on. They were able to buy appliances for their little apartment and be productive members of society. They didn't need to move into white collar work to be successful, they just needed to be able to get a little stupid apartment and a job where they could work 30 to 40 hours per week. The funny thing is while we say "no incentive", they displayed a great deal of pride in working and moving upwards.

You now know that Utah has this program, so why aren't you moving there to become homeless and get into one of those apartments? What incentive do you have to remain above poverty? When you apply the situation to ask yourself why you aren't taking advantage of it, all the arguments fall apart. Sure, this program sounds vastly better than being homeless, but I don't want to go live there. I love my house. I'm happy with the life I built for myself.

Here is the actual journalism (rare to see) and it was done by the daily show (why is a comedy show the #1 source for quality reporting??)

The Homeless Homed - The Daily Show - Video Clip | Comedy Central