Not My Idea: Could Tiny Houses Address Homelessness and Save Taxpayer Dollars? (wage, ethical)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A guy in Portland proposes a 25-unit development of 200-sf houses that he says can be built for $15.000 to $35,000 each and pencil out at monthly rents in the range of $250-$350 (which is less than the cost of renting a room and close to half the cost of a studio apartment). He notes this would be vastly cheaper than the 130 apartments the city recently built for homeless people at an average cost of about $250,000 per unit.
Of course, he needs some city code changes to make it happen, and of course NIMBYs everywhere in the city will come out of the woodwork to prevent that.
I really don't think it has a chance in hell of being implemented. IMHO, there are plenty of abandoned buildings in downtown areas that can be retooled to house the homeless in a dormatory setting.
A guy in Portland proposes a 25-unit development of 200-sf houses that he says can be built for $15.000 to $35,000 each and pencil out at monthly rents in the range of $250-$350 (which is less than the cost of renting a room and close to half the cost of a studio apartment). He notes this would be vastly cheaper than the 130 apartments the city recently built for homeless people at an average cost of about $250,000 per unit.
Of course, he needs some city code changes to make it happen, and of course NIMBYs everywhere in the city will come out of the woodwork to prevent that.
It depends upon why the person is homeless.
If a person is homeless because they are an anti-social, dysfunctional, self destructive malcontent, then giving them a home is not really going to fix anything.
If the person is just down on their luck, and needs a helping hand from their fellow citizen, until they can get back on their feet, then this could be a good idea.
??? ??? Where did you get the idea that "the unsubsidized person can afford it" ??? ???
The vast majority of low-income renters live in unsubsidized housing...yet they have no more income than subsidized low-income renters. Since demand for housing subsidies far exceeds supply, the majority of those seeking subsidies don't receive them, or rot on waiting lists for years and years.
I agree that is an issue that happens with housing as well as other subsidies just because of a backlog in the system.
As for an unsubsidized person being able to afford it, it is possible. It's not a guarantee but it is in the realm of possibility.
I really don't think it has a chance in hell of being implemented. IMHO, there are plenty of abandoned buildings in downtown areas that can be retooled to house the homeless in a dormatory setting.
??? Who's gonna do it, and with what money?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
