4 ms·

This is what I don’t understand about homelessness: why do people insist that they have to live in a very high cost city? Probably because people are not inert

This is what I don’t understand about homelessness: why do people insist that they have to live in a very high cost city? Probably because people are not inert sacks of potatoes, and they have reasons for living where they do, some rational, some not as rational, yet still valid. This is why I also support strong renter protection laws -- rental housing is not like any other investment, it's someone's home. (note that I'm a landlord myself and still support strong tenant protection laws).

scarface74 9y ago
What tenant protection laws should allow a person to stay somewhere when they can't afford the rent? I can't seem to muster up sympathy for her. She gets $1300 a month from disability. There is nothing stopping her from going some place where the rent is cheaper. There is nothing "valid" about trying to live somewhere you can't afford.
- Johnny555 9y ago
  Yes, you can't muster up sympathy because you can afford to live where you want to. Take away most of your income, put your family and friends in an expensive place, and then see if you can find at least a little inkling of sympathy when society tells you "Too bad you're disabled, you should be more rich if you want to live close to your family"
  - scarface74 9y ago
    I moved four hours away from my family when I was 22 years old. I moved from a small town where I had lived all of my life, to a larger city with better opportunities. Military families move constantly. I have a friend who was constantly being relocated for his job. It happens. If the job market dried up where I live now, I would pick up and move with no second thoughts.
    - ttonkytonk 9y ago
      But you aren't in her shoes, and she's not in yours. It's reasonable to expect that some people would want and need to live near their families.
      - scarface74 9y ago
        And who should pay for it? If we can pay $1300 a month for someone to survive in a cheaper area, why should we pay for her to live in Seattle? If I had decided to stay in small town USA, should my taxes pay for her to stay in Seattle? If her family was that concerned about her well being and lived near her, why is she sleeping in a car?

scarface74 9y ago

What tenant protection laws should allow a person to stay somewhere when they can't afford the rent? I can't seem to muster up sympathy for her. She gets $1300 a month from disability. There is nothing stopping her from going some place where the rent is cheaper. There is nothing "valid" about trying to live somewhere you can't afford.

Johnny555 9y ago
Yes, you can't muster up sympathy because you can afford to live where you want to. Take away most of your income, put your family and friends in an expensive place, and then see if you can find at least a little inkling of sympathy when society tells you "Too bad you're disabled, you should be more rich if you want to live close to your family"
- scarface74 9y ago
  I moved four hours away from my family when I was 22 years old. I moved from a small town where I had lived all of my life, to a larger city with better opportunities. Military families move constantly. I have a friend who was constantly being relocated for his job. It happens. If the job market dried up where I live now, I would pick up and move with no second thoughts.
  - ttonkytonk 9y ago
    But you aren't in her shoes, and she's not in yours. It's reasonable to expect that some people would want and need to live near their families.
    - scarface74 9y ago
      And who should pay for it? If we can pay $1300 a month for someone to survive in a cheaper area, why should we pay for her to live in Seattle? If I had decided to stay in small town USA, should my taxes pay for her to stay in Seattle? If her family was that concerned about her well being and lived near her, why is she sleeping in a car?