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Old 04-30-2009, 10:08 PM
 
3,728 posts, read 4,853,289 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PurpleLove08 View Post
where they live but it seems these people are in the minority.

I've seen examples of public housing where the building is really modern and attractive but outside you see lots of broken down cars, trash, etc.
It doesn't even have to be a majority of people, it could be a small minority of idiots that make it unliveable.

A few years ago I had some white trash neighbors who would throw cigarette butts into my backyard, smash beer bottles on the street, argue loudly at 4AM, and let their dogs run around the neighborhood.

That was only one family, actually really only two people. The kids were still only really little and the parents were absolute trash. Now, imagine a neighborhood where 95% of the people were decent and 5% were like my redneck neighbors. Can you imagine just how bad the neighborhood would seem if 1 out of every 20 households were that like that one?
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Old 04-30-2009, 10:19 PM
 
Location: OB
2,404 posts, read 3,936,486 times
Reputation: 879
Default Here's the Problem

Quote:
Why is Public Housing So Bad
Some people have no respect. Especially when it is not theirs. And again when they feely entitled and are owed. There is a whole Urban world which a lot of people have little experience with. This Urban world has a whole different mindset.

The article linked has a ton of insight regarding that community. The article starts by telling about all the litter, bottles and trash laying around. Which was thrown on the ground by the community. The article goes on to say people in the community throw their dirty diapers into the trees and they just leave them there to stink in the wind.

Here is the underlying problem, the elders and adults of the community, I will say it in their own words through a quote in the linked article by 55-year-old Keith "Kilo" as in a kilo of Cocaine, 2.2 lbs of coke Perry, "We don't have role models." he said. The neighborhood elders and the adults are not setting an example to the youths, and in that not setting an example, you have children having children having children and this cycle perpetuates for generations. It's sad.
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Old 04-30-2009, 10:29 PM
 
532 posts, read 1,228,114 times
Reputation: 139
first thing to teach low income people is that liberalism is a disease. Stop thinking that govenment should do everything for you. Realize your success is based on the choices you make
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Old 04-30-2009, 10:53 PM
 
Location: Flyover Country
26,212 posts, read 19,417,559 times
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You have to provide these people with choices if you want to help lift them out of poverty. Giving them the opportunity to purchase a dwelling in public housing for a reduced rate based on income can do wonders. I've seen public housing that was WWII era like this brick prison is and I've seen them demolished and replaced with duplexes that were built to provide those living in this community the chance to purchase their homes. These developments sit where once blighted concrete boxes once were a breeding ground for crime, they took away hope from people. Its a beautiful subdivision today

You can, through smart governance, help empower people, or you can do it the conservative way, take money from social programs, ignore the plight of the poorest citizens, and just build more prisons.

That method fails everytime, and you can sweep it under the rug and try to ignore these people, which seems to be the case in this S.F. public housing project. The suburbs are notorious throughout Europe for isolating the poorest away from those with money, in the U.S., the poorest live in or near the city, while the wealthy flee to the burbs
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Old 04-30-2009, 11:11 PM
 
23,838 posts, read 23,037,244 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe107 View Post
first thing to teach low income people is that liberalism is a disease. Stop thinking that govenment should do everything for you. Realize your success is based on the choices you make
Ding Ding Ding...we have a winner! Couldn't agree with you more.
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Old 04-30-2009, 11:13 PM
 
Location: Houston Texas
2,915 posts, read 3,495,752 times
Reputation: 877
Quote:
Originally Posted by odanny View Post
You have to provide these people with choices if you want to help lift them out of poverty. Giving them the opportunity to purchase a dwelling in public housing for a reduced rate based on income can do wonders. I've seen public housing that was WWII era like this brick prison is and I've seen them demolished and replaced with duplexes that were built to provide those living in this community the chance to purchase their homes. These developments sit where once blighted concrete boxes once were a breeding ground for crime, they took away hope from people. Its a beautiful subdivision today

You can, through smart governance, help empower people, or you can do it the conservative way, take money from social programs, ignore the plight of the poorest citizens, and just build more prisons.

That method fails everytime, and you can sweep it under the rug and try to ignore these people, which seems to be the case in this S.F. public housing project. The suburbs are notorious throughout Europe for isolating the poorest away from those with money, in the U.S., the poorest live in or near the city, while the wealthy flee to the burbs
Looks like that smart governance is failing in SF and other cities across America,

If we were able to but some positive role models out there for the communities, take away welfare from the able bodied that are lazy, and actually start integrating these neighborhoods instead of tossing these people in locked away type ghettos (not much different than prison except in prison you know where your next meal is coming from) then maybe we could get some where
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Old 04-30-2009, 11:20 PM
 
48,505 posts, read 96,519,768 times
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Bsically its more to do with the people that rent in public housing.They include dope dealers and others that just don't care to be honest. The ones that do become victims often.Even section * aparments have this problem.I feel sorry for those that are decent law bidding citzens forced to live amoung them.In amny araes the governamnt has given up on owning hosuing and gone to paying others under seaction 8 because of the upkeep cost and government politics in effectively managing the properties.Governamnt never seem to be good managers.
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Old 04-30-2009, 11:26 PM
 
8,978 posts, read 16,511,746 times
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Speaking as a rental owner, and a SOME time user of the 'Section 8' program, I can tell you that 'rentals', by nature, mean the resident doesn't have a 'vested interest' in the property. When this gets into multiple units (apartments, etc), and is aimed at the very poor, there are going to be a significant portion of the residents with problems....chaotic lifestyles, single-parent households, problems with the law, etc etc. If even a FEW people allow their units to get 'torn up', or if the local 'kids' join gangs, it's pretty much a 'downward spiral' from then on. This being the case, in the midst of all this 'turmoil', it's virtually impossible to get people to 'take care' of a place that REALLY isn't theirs, anyway.

Places get run down; residents get discouraged; and this discouragement leads to LESS 'interest', and MORE wear-and-tear. It's a vicious cycle.
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Old 05-01-2009, 12:51 AM
 
Location: North Las Vegas
1,125 posts, read 1,584,817 times
Reputation: 929
No one respects property that they do not have to purchase. Whenever anyone, be it a rich kid getting a new car or poor people getting public housing gets something given to them without them earning it, they do not respect what is given and do not take care of what is given.

We need to figure a way to create vested interest for residences of public housing, that way they have a reason to try and keep their homes clean and repaired. But with today's attitude of "what are you going to do for me now?" being the main mindset of many, I don't see this changing any time soon.
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Old 05-01-2009, 01:00 AM
 
Location: San Diego, CA
4,897 posts, read 8,290,579 times
Reputation: 1911
Quote:
Originally Posted by macmeal View Post
Speaking as a rental owner, and a SOME time user of the 'Section 8' program, I can tell you that 'rentals', by nature, mean the resident doesn't have a 'vested interest' in the property. When this gets into multiple units (apartments, etc), and is aimed at the very poor, there are going to be a significant portion of the residents with problems....chaotic lifestyles, single-parent households, problems with the law, etc etc. If even a FEW people allow their units to get 'torn up', or if the local 'kids' join gangs, it's pretty much a 'downward spiral' from then on. This being the case, in the midst of all this 'turmoil', it's virtually impossible to get people to 'take care' of a place that REALLY isn't theirs, anyway.

Places get run down; residents get discouraged; and this discouragement leads to LESS 'interest', and MORE wear-and-tear. It's a vicious cycle.
My father (my mother died several years ago) rents out 7 houses he owns in SoCal and all of them are very meticulously maintained. The paint is new, the carpet is new, the fixtures are much better then the cheapest possible. Sometimes you do get bad renters and he tosses those out but because there are so many more people who want to rent in SoCal then there are rental properties more often then not he gets to pick the best possible renters. Usually he's looking for someone who take pride in their possessions, has good credit, and might want to buy their own house in a few years. It doesn't hurt that you can demand first, last, and deposit as the rental market is so tight so if a renter does damage the property you already have $2000 of their money with which to make repairs. As a general rule though his renters get back almost their entire deposit (minus a very small cleaning fee) because he picks good renters.

It helps that our local schools are good so that people with decent jobs want to raise their children here but you would be surprised how much you can learn just by paying attention. How are people dressed? Do they care for their appearance, is their car filthy or is it freshly washed and well cared for? It doesn't have to be a new car but what is important, even if it is an old car, is if they take pride in the care of their property. If they take care of their own property, if their car is freshly washed and maintained, then it is more likely that they will take care of your property. Then of course is the credit report and quality references which all help to make a clearer picture about a potential renter.
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