I am confused. As Sacramento, the counties and cities spend more, billions more each year, to solve the homeless problem, the problem gets worse. As radicals get shriller in their whimpers and tears about the homelessness, the numbers of those without a home grows.
Now, like the poverty and drug issue, the Left has decided to make a problem seem not so bad. So, instead of “homeless” we now have either “unhoused residents” or “housing insecure people”. Sounds so clinical. How about this—GOVERNMENT SCREWED UP AND FORCED PEOPLE INTO THE STREETS?
“An hour up the road at Southern California’s second leading tourist attraction Venice Beach, things are quite different. Homeless encampments clog the picturesque landscape where surfers, skate boarders, and tourists have congregated for generations. Currently, the area is littered with drug paraphernalia, garbage, and the remains of illegal fires. Major criminal activities including robbery, sexual assaults, and even murder are regular occurrences.
In Venice, law enforcement has been weakened by the defund the police crowd and new regulations pertaining to the conduct of cops. This has made it more difficult to do their jobs. The result is that the Homeless have driven away much of the tourist trade creating collateral damage that has devastated local businesses in the iconic seaside community.
Venice is an example of government giving up, accepting crime, drugs and destruction. Economic policies set by government make housing more expensive, regulations make housing too expensive (the solar mandate for instance—getting rid of cheap natural gas is another example). Get government to stop putting people on the street and we have less homeless. Just a start.
Dealing with Homelessness by Richard Eber
Richard Eber, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views 5/27/21
As the Covid-19 epidemic winds down, state government tightly regulates the activities of Disneyland in Anaheim. Reservations to the amusement park must be made in advance. The park is currently working at 25% capacity. Visitors and Mickey Mouse must wear facemasks at all times. The list goes on.
An hour up the road at Southern California’s second leading tourist attraction Venice Beach, things are quite different. Homeless encampments clog the picturesque landscape where surfers, skate boarders, and tourists have congregated for generations. Currently, the area is littered with drug paraphernalia, garbage, and the remains of illegal fires. Major criminal activities including robbery, sexual assaults, and even murder are regular occurrences.
In Venice, law enforcement has been weakened by the defund the police crowd and new regulations pertaining to the conduct of cops. This has made it more difficult to do their jobs. The result is that the Homeless have driven away much of the tourist trade creating collateral damage that has devastated local businesses in the iconic seaside community.
This is not an isolated incident. Politicians from Sacramento to the smallest municipalities have unsuccessfully tried to deal with the deteriorating conditions where they call home. Homelessness continues to grow and create more problems every single day.
As might be expected those in charge such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti plan to throw money at the problem. Their formula is to combat homelessness by spending billions of dollars on government services. With Gavin Newsom’s recall election soon approaching, it is important to him that the public perceives Progressives are effectively dealing with the Homeless crisis.
The big ticket item is finding permanent places for those without residences to live. Unfortunately, to build housing, it will take years to do is. When planning, cost of land, union labor, and other expenses are added up, the price of construction is through the roof. Even with numerous bills flying through the legislature to sidestep local zoning laws, built in bureaucracy slows everything down.
Meanwhile, public opinion polls show the frustration of California residents for the growing homeless dilemma. They are tired of hearing platitudes and promises from their elected leaders with little to show for their efforts.
First it must be realized:
- Virtually everyone living on the streets has either alcohol or drug dependency problems along with mental health issues. Over a period of time living under adverse conditions, these problems continue to escalate. Because of this a one size fits all approach will never work in combating homelessness.
- The cost for law enforcement to deal with the Homeless has gone up astronomically over the years. In many cities, up to half the time of the police needs to be spent on this group. Typically, beat cops have ended up being social workers. Often it does no good to enforce laws because prosecuting these people does little good. In additions, arresting the Homeless is costly as they usually need to receive medical treatment at County hospitals on the way to jail.
- Government programs offering food, shelter, clothing and medical services are expensive and often ineffective. Taking over a motel for this purpose can run up to $5,000 per month for each resident, with little to show for such efforts.
- The private sector seems to do a better job in dealing with needs of the Homeless. Churches in general are the most effective. Religious organizations that bring their faith into their missionary efforts have the highest success rates. Goodwill Industries, The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and individual churches show excellent results.
- Government entities from the Federal Government on down are reluctant to recognize the efforts of faith based assistance to the Homeless because of their belief that church and State needs to be separated. As a result religious folks find it difficult to receive government funds and co-operation to assist in their efforts.
- In general the public sector does not place much emphasis family might have in dealing with homelessness. Even though economics has played a major role in displacing, people, alcohol, drugs, and mental illness have been chiefly responsible for the estrangement of the Homeless from their relatives.
What to do?
Until permanent solutions can be achieved, some adjust and improvise policies must be implemented. Large tent camps need to be established by the State. These temporary locales need to provide tents, Tuff sheds, Electricity, water, garbage, and restroom facilities for those who reside in these places.
While there will be no live in counselors or medical staff, mobile services should be provided on a regular basis. Private charities need to be allowed on the premises to offer their assistance.
If such a site can be provided to the Homeless, these individuals will lose their right to camp at will in parks, abandoned buildings, private property, and other locales currently being occupied by them. This might sound like “tough love”, but the fact is the streets belong as much to law abiding citizens who pay taxes.
Only individuals with the highest chances for success should be sent to rehabilitation centers for help as part of a comprehensive plan of upward mobility for the homeless.
Most important there should be an outreach program to place those who have been displaced with their families. When one considers the cost for law enforcement and public assistance, paying family to take back homeless their relatives seems like a bargain. Pulling a number out of a hat $ 2500.00 per month seems like a reasonable figure.
To make things work better social services and medical would also be included. If there are no relatives willing to take on this task, Foster Homes can be arranged to provide similar help. A good fit might be found with “Empty Nesters” having unused bedrooms in their house that could accommodate new residents.
To summarize what needs to be done both the private sector and government agencies should work together on combating the epidemic of Homelessness. Leave the judicial system out of the process. Homeless advocates trying to implement policy through courts are not the answer. Such an approach is costly and will do nothing to eradicate the problem.
One thing is for certain. Destroying inner city life in Venice Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, and elsewhere in the State cannot be tolerated. In the realms between tough love and innovation, solutions to the Homeless dilemma must be found with no stone left unturned,
