Homeless Middle Class - CA

[hvactec]

Oct 9, 2013 [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ4EFICugX4]Homeless Middle Class - YouTube[/ame]

 

[waltky]

Cost of living too high for homeless in some cities...

High-cost US Cities See Homeless Population Grow
June 25, 2017 — Homelessness is increasing in Los Angeles, and the signs are visible. From tents under freeways and shopping carts at street corners, to people begging for money outside fast-food restaurants, the number of homeless people in Los Angeles county has risen by 23 percent, to nearly 58,000. It is a life Destiny Prescott knows all too well.

“I was sleeping in a car; I was sleeping at the beach, pregnant. I was four months pregnant at the time,” Prescott remembered. She grew up in an unstable home and ended up using drugs and alcohol, then lost her job and her home. Substance abuse is one cause of homelessness. Others include domestic violence, mental and physical disabilities. However, an even larger cause is due to economic factors. Peter Lynn, executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, said this occurs when a tight rental market develops in a city that already has a high poverty rate. "As the economy picks up steam, there’s more spending power [that] comes into the rental market, and a lot of it goes out again as rent increases," Lynn said. "Rents are moving up $100, $200 [a month]. No one’s income is keeping pace with that."

US homelessness down 3% overall

Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development covering 2015-2016, indicates a three-percent drop in homelessness nationwide, but at the same time, the number of homeless people increased in 13 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, home of the nation's capital. California is one of those 13 states, and it has one of the highest homeless populations in the country. In cities such as Los Angeles, “the rich are getting richer and the middle class is slowly disappearing,” said Tanya Tull, a homeless advocate who founded Partnering for Change, an organization that helps with stable housing for children and families.

Venice, a beach community in Los Angeles, is a place where people in homeless encampments live side-by-side with residents of multimillion-dollar homes. “Residents find homeless people ... defecating in their backyard,” said William Hawkins, chairman of the Venice Homeless Committee and a resident. “It’s not about criminalizing homelessness. It’s simply criminalizing criminal behavior and when you have an encampment like this, that from midnight to four o’clock becomes a night club and an area where people are doing drugs, it’s not fair to the residents,” said Hawkins.

'Housing First' approach

See also:

South Dakota Native Americans Struggle With Homelessness
June 21, 2017 - Webster Allen Two Hawk Jr. had not had a drink in six weeks – one of the conditions for getting a bed at the Rapid City, South Dakota rescue mission. But the 55-year-old Sicangu Lakota artist had received some bad news that cold day in March: All of his artwork had been stolen.

In his distress, Two Hawk got drunk with friends in a downtown park. When he returned to the mission to sleep, he was turned away. “So, my brother sat down by some of those big electrical boxes near Memorial Park, probably to get a break from the wind,” said Castle LaCroix Kelly. “And that’s where they found him the next morning. Frozen to death in the snow,” she said.

Webster Allen Two Hawk Jr. dressed in traditional clothes for a film in which he played as an extra.​

South Dakota is home to nine federally recognized tribes, and its reservations are among the poorest in the country. Tribal members flock to Rapid City in search of jobs, but often end up on the streets. The Black Hills Regional Homeless Coalition makes annual counts of Rapid City’s homeless population to gauge funding needs. This year, it counted more than 240, most of them Native American. But the numbers likely are much higher. “We are unable to count those who are in jail, detox, living in hotels, doubled up, or ‘couch surfing.’ All of those situations are still situations of homelessness, and those individuals are living in situations that are far from appropriate, safe or ‘housed,’” said Anna Quinn, executive director of the HOPE Center, a faith-based group serving Rapid City’s homeless.

Mean streets

Shane Boudreaux, Sigangu Lakota, has been homeless several times, and knows firsthand how rough the streets can be. In 2002, the National Coalition of the Homeless rated Rapid City the third most dangerous U.S. city for the homeless—especially Native Americans. Cut off from family and culture, they are vulnerable to alcohol, drugs and violence. Sometimes they are harassed by the locals. And sometimes their lives are cut short. “One of my friends died here just a few weeks ago,” said Boudreaux. “They found him floating in Rapid Creek. Police said he was riding his bike and must have hit a railing and fallen off the bridge into the water.” Homeless women are particularly at risk, said one Lakota woman who asked not to be named. “I’ve been raped. I’ve had things thrown at me. I’ve had my purse ripped off my shoulder. I’ve been left behind by my boyfriend after getting beaten. I’ve been called names.” She said she doesn’t believe authorities take these crimes seriously, and said local police are harder on Native Americans than other groups.

A Rapid City police officer stops a woman during a protest against anti-Native racism​

A 2015 study on race disparities in Rapid City policing showed more Native Americans are arrested than other group in the city, and that police were more likely to use force against Native Americans than any other race. Rapid City Police Chief Karl Jegeris admitted to age-old tensions between Native Americans and the city’s population, but denied that his officers are heavy-handed. “I think that in comparison to other cities that I’ve been to, I would say we’re a much safer city for our homeless population. We have a specialized street crimes unit that patrols downtown and park areas. We get to know the homeless on a first name basis and get along very well with them generally,” he said. “But there are certainly exceptions.”

An unnamed homeless person waives soliciting money amongst political campaign sign wavers in Anchorage, Alaska in 2008. Nearly 45 percent of homeless in that state are Alaska Native, some, like this man, U.S. military veterans.​

When Native American homeless are arrested, Jegeris said, it is usually for low-level crimes, such as drinking in public or disorderly conduct. But more serious conflicts sometimes arise. “Due to historic and generational trauma issues, there is a lot of distrust in the Native American community, especially toward authority figures,” he said. “And unfortunately, law enforcement is the most visible sign of government authority. So, we run into conflict somewhat regularly when we are just trying to help ensure general safety for that person.”

Investing in tribes

Related:

VA Aims to End Veteran Homelessness, Says It'll Take Years
May 11, 2017 . — The new Veterans Affairs chief shares the goal set by former President Barack Obama's administration of ending homelessness among veterans, but says it'll take longer than his predecessor predicted.

Reducing the number of homeless veterans nationwide from roughly 40,000 to 10,000 or 15,000 is an ``achievable goal'' for President Donald Trump's administration, VA Secretary David Shulkin told The Associated Press during a visit to Rhode Island on Friday. "This is a continuous problem of people finding themselves in economically difficult situations and then being out on the street or going from shelter to shelter,'' Shulkin said. Homelessness among veterans has been effectively ended in Virginia, Connecticut and Delaware and in more than 40 communities. The outgoing head of the VA, Robert McDonald, said in January that ``we should be there'' nationwide within a couple of years. Shulkin, who formerly was VA undersecretary of health under Obama, said on Friday, ``We're still looking at a multi-year process.''

While advocates are encouraged to hear Shulkin's commitment, some wish he was more ambitious. "My personal take is, the VA secretary is being cautiously optimistic about what can be achieved and not wanting to kind of set the administration up for a missed goal,'' said Lisa Vukov, who works to prevent and end homelessness in the Omaha, Nebraska, metropolitan area. ``I'm a firm believer in setting your goals big because you achieve more that way.''

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said veteran homelessness can be ended during the Trump administration. "There's no reason we can't achieve it if enough resources are dedicated to the fight,'' said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Shulkin said some veterans offered housing by the VA prefer other alternatives and high real estate prices and a shortage of available housing in some parts of the country make it hard to house veterans there. He sees the biggest challenge in Los Angeles.

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[dfens]

If you are homeless, you are not exactly middle anymore are you!

 

[Gracie]

However, an even larger cause is due to economic factors. Peter Lynn, executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, said this occurs when a tight rental market develops in a city that already has a high poverty rate. "As the economy picks up steam, there’s more spending power [that] comes into the rental market, and a lot of it goes out again as rent increases," Lynn said. "Rents are moving up $100, $200 [a month]. No one’s income is keeping pace with that."


This ^^^^

Studio apts that only allow one person...rent is 1500.00 per month. A 1 bedroom apt is 2000 and up. Most allow only one person. Houses are worst. Not only do you have to pay the rent, you also have to pay the utilities...AND non refundable deposits to get them turned on.

Should be a rent moratorium on all housing. Stop with the renting out 3 bedroom homes with 4 bunk beds in each room at 500 bucks per bed per person.

And if cities would put porta potties in areas where the homeless are gathering...they would use it. Alas...porta potties are an eye sore unless its for the workmen working on that multi million dollar home in Malibu..then its ok. Right? Right. *eye roll*

 

[ScienceRocks]

If the healthcare bill passes we will see a shit load of middle class people living on the street....The rich are gutting this nation and Trump lied up his ass as he is clearly not on our side.