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This trend is downright offensive when you realize that many cities with vacant home problems also have homelessness problems.
by kerkeslager 10y ago
This trend is downright offensive when you realize that many cities with vacant home problems also have homelessness problems.
- HillaryBriss 10y agoCase in point: Los Angeles, which, on the basis of median income, has the least affordable housing of any major city in the US, also has a significant number of vacant apartment listings. The rental rates for these (mostly new) apartments are so high that they don't address the shortage of housing in the low to mid income range. And the owners (corporate, mostly) prefer to keep the units empty instead of lowering the prices. So, in a sense, Los Angeles has both too few and too many housing units.
- jedberg 10y agoBoston is actually trying to solve this. They are redirecting the money they spend on homeless shelters towards paying rent for the homeless in otherwise vacant properties and providing lawyers for the owners in case the tenants cause any problems.