What do I do about someone living in an RV on my street? (housing, vehicle)

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

I’m going to post a snapshot story here to illustrate the difference between:
the 10s of millions of mentally ill, plus 10s of millions of severe substance abusers … who are housed
and those many many fewer who have fallen into homelessness.

A brother-in-law of mine joined the Marine Corps at 17. Seemingly mentally fit and intact, about a year in, he crashed. Schizophrenia erupted. Super severe. No, being a Marine didn’t cause it. Schizophrenia has many roots, being a Marine isn’t one of them.

For about the next 25 years, his sister and I and his mother worked with the VA to keep him housed, fed, and clothed, and mostly medicated. He lived in various facilities and group homes … and with us at times. Sometimes, occasionally, he would hide his medications, stop taking them, and some of those times he would disappear on us briefly.

We always were able to track him down on the streets knowing his habits. Bring him back. Usually to hospital for reset … then back to our home or group living.

Were it not for his loving sister, the VA, [and me being concerned and experienced with veterans’ issues and support systems], Buddy would have been one of those bizarre street people. His other brothers were in jail and his father an institutionalized alcoholic. He wouldn’t have had other family or resources to keep him off the streets.

He didn’t bring his condition on himself. He was out there, stepping into manhood, joined up to serve his country … and **** happened.

Now, imagine Buddy hadn’t fallen ill, but rather just made bad choices that left him resourceless … and no VA, no loving sister, no brother-in-law who could / would take him in.

What should happen to someone who - through fault of their own, or no fault - has simply no resources and can’t find affordable housing to regroup in? What does this constant vilification of homeless solve?

The issue isn’t what did each of these people do to find themselves where they are. Fault or no fault they are everyone’s mess to deal with. The issue is affordable housing … it doesn’t exist to get them off the street.

It's not really an affordable housing problem. This needs to be a Federal issue, which will cost a lot of money. There needs to be many institutions and mandatory lock ups, sometimes forever I suspect. The ones with substance problemes need treatment and may recover, those with other issues, like schizophrenia, need meds and may stabalize...but they must all understand they WILL be reinstitutionalized if they decide to go off the meds or off the deep end. I envision this as a revolving door for most but they will need to be there or somewhere else (group homes, families, etc), NOT on the streets. It's the only humane thing we can do and it beats throwing money into the "homeless" pit as we've been doing. The people that clean up permenantly, now they may need some affordable housing.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by Ceece

It's not really an affordable housing problem. This needs to be a Federal issue, which will cost a lot of money. There needs to be many institutions and mandatory lock ups, sometimes forever I suspect. The ones with substance problemes need treatment and may recover, those with other issues, like schizophrenia, need meds and may stabalize...but they must all understand they WILL be reinstitutionalized if they decide to go off the meds or off the deep end. I envision this as a revolving door for most but they will need to be there or somewhere else (group homes, families, etc), NOT on the streets. It's the only humane thing we can do and it beats throwing money into the "homeless" pit as we've been doing. The people that clean up permenantly, now they may need some affordable housing.

Yes it really is about affordable housing. 75% of homeless are not severely mentally ill. That’s 375,000 homeless people nationally who would not be candidates for institutionalization, even if standards for involuntary commitment were re-defined to include all 25% who do suffer SMI.

(As it stands now, many even severely mentally ill are not even close to qualifying for detainment. Understand that SMI includes conditions, such as severe depression, that do not manifest the kind of overtly crazy behaviors that are the face of street lunatics.)

Getting the chronics off the street requires housing. Housing that is within affordability of the support programs.

Stanching the flow of new homeless requires affordable housing to stop evictions to begin with.

It’s almost entirely about housing costs why these people, sane or ill, become homeless to begin with.

EVERY knowledgable professional in the field agrees it’s about affordable housing.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Affordable housing at the beach? I'd like that too. I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. Heck if I can legally put my toy hauler on Fiesta Island I'll sell my house and drag it there tomorrow. Thanks tax payers. You can even launch a boat there.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Affordable housing at the beach? I'd like that too. I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. Heck if I can legally put my toy hauler on Fiesta Island I'll sell my house and drag it there tomorrow. Thanks tax payers. You can even launch a boat there.

Who said anything about affordable housing at the beach?

Fiesta Island? Dogs run free, check the “good” box. No trees, check the “bad” box.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Who said anything about affordable housing at the beach?

Fiesta Island? Dogs run free, check the “good” box. No trees, check the “bad” box.

Just saying, if it can happen I'm there

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Just saying, if it can happen I'm there

Bring big supply of doggie-doo bags … you’ll fit right in!

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Yes it really is about affordable housing. 75% of homeless are not severely mentally ill. That’s 375,000 homeless people nationally who would not be candidates for institutionalization, even if standards for involuntary commitment were re-defined to include all 25% who do suffer SMI.

(As it stands now, many even severely mentally ill are not even close to qualifying for detainment. Understand that SMI includes conditions, such as severe depression, that do not manifest the kind of overtly crazy behaviors that are the face of street lunatics.)

Getting the chronics off the street requires housing. Housing that is within affordability of the support programs.

Stanching the flow of new homeless requires affordable housing to stop evictions to begin with.

It’s almost entirely about housing costs why these people, sane or ill, become homeless to begin with.

EVERY knowledgable professional in the field agrees it’s about affordable housing.

You speak of "affordable housing" as if it's going to actually be affordable. 75% is a completely made up number, if people don't have drug or mental issues they are RARELY on the street. They may not own a home but they will manage to find places to live becasue they can think and execute a plan.

When housing is built for the rest it will have to be actively managed and maintained and people need additional services, lot's of them. I suggest you think of institutions to be part of the affordable housing you want becasue it's the most logical and humane thing for people who can't care for themselves. And all the better when it's NOT in the most expensive areas becasue money will go farther.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by Ceece

You speak of "affordable housing" as if it's going to actually be affordable. 75% is a completely made up number, if people don't have drug or mental issues they are RARELY on the street. They may not own a home but they will manage to find places to live becasue they can think and execute a plan.

When housing is built for the rest it will have to be actively managed and maintained and people need additional services, lot's of them. I suggest you think of institutions to be part of the affordable housing you want becasue it's the most logical and humane thing for people who can't care for themselves. And all the better when it's NOT in the most expensive areas becasue money will go farther.

75% is not only not made up, it is without any doubt low. And I told you where it came from: NIMH. Reread and do the math. But further, I can cross- buttress that number with other sources. I’ve reported on these things countless times in CD threads on homelessness over the years.

Without dredging up the same information yet another time, I’m going to simply repeat: nowhere even remotely near that number of homeless would qualify under any redefining of statutes and laws for forced detention - regardless of your personal opinion of what is sane and humane.

You clearly have no idea what you are talking about if you insist that “ if people don't have drug or mental issues they are RARELY on the street. … The streets are loaded with sane people who can’t find [affordable] housing.

But you are somewhat correct almost in your next sentence: “ … They may not own a home but they will manage to find places to live becasue they can think and execute a plan. … because, on average, about 75% of homeless do re-house within a year after becoming homeless.

That figure is for the total homeless population. But NOT for the street chronics - who are the public face of the problem. The 500,000 homeless nationally figure accounts for ALL, including persons living in temporary shelter, not just the streets, at any given point in time. There aren’t 500,000 homeless on the streets.

Nor is specially built and managed housing required for 500,000, or even 25% of that number.

But the reason 2.5 - 3 million Americans experience homelessness at some time each year, is because they can’t find affordable housing at times of crisis in their lives.

My statements in these threads are based on facts and experience. Research from both government and non-government sources, media studies, foundations, universities. And I have been helping homeless vets, and others, for over 30 years … finding housing, counseling, medical treatment, and on-going benefits.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by Ceece

It's not really an affordable housing problem..

Originally Posted by Ceece

You speak of "affordable housing" as if it's going to actually be affordable. 75% is a completely made up number, if people don't have drug or mental issues they are RARELY on the street. They may not own a home but they will manage to find places to live becasue they can think and execute a plan.
.

Employment alone isn’t enough to solve homelessness, study
More than half of people residing in homeless shelters in the United States had formal earnings in the same year they were homeless, according to a new study that deepens understanding of housing insecurity in the U.S.

Among unhoused individuals who were not in shelters, about 40% had earnings from formal employment. The findings contrast with common perceptions and stereotypes about people who are homeless—suggesting that even consistent work isn’t enough to help Americans facing skyrocketing housing costs.

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/empl...study-suggests

[SorryToBotherYou]

I think tech will solve the problem. The Metaverse will be able to house millions of Gen Z and Millennials despite their own individual failings in affording a physical house.

As this occurs, I don't believe it's ever appropriate to shame the home-owning boomers. Sure, if economic resources were devoted to the construction of new cities, as China does, this problem could have been solved.

But wouldn't it be better to devote these resources to area revitalization, home improvement, and essential services such as dining, Frappuccino making, and so on? While this has the unintended consequence of ensuring current home values continue to rise, we’re still teaching the new generations that, in the very long run, work does pay!*

*Once they get to do the same thing to the next generations!