4 ms·

Until people start talking about dismantling zoning laws, I don't take them seriously when they say they care about homelessness. We deeply care about homelessn

Until people start talking about dismantling zoning laws, I don't take them seriously when they say they care about homelessness. We deeply care about homelessness. Yes, we've systematically made dormitory housing illegal, but we deeply care about homelessness. Yes, we've outlawed any form of mixed use zoning necessitating a car for most jobs, but we deeply care about homelessness. Yes, we have made any form of construction basicly impossible, but we care so so much about homelessness. Judging by their revealed preferences, almost no one cares about homelessness.

vkou 8y ago
There are people who will be homeless, regardless of what your zoning laws are. An income of $0 doesn't quite get you a roof over your head, regardless of how cheap that roof is. An inability to function in modern society won't keep you inside an apartment, even if its a shitty dormitory. Zoning is only a part of the homeless problem. Only a fraction of homeless are homeless because they were priced out of their homes.
- moate 8y ago
  >> An income of $0 doesn't quite get you a roof over your head, regardless of how cheap that roof is. I mean if the cost is "$0" then it does. But people don't want shelters being erected in their neighborhoods either, because then you'd have a concentrated group of undesirables nearby...
- beat 8y ago
  That doesn't change the fact that zoning laws are a significant contributing factor for homelessness. I keep seeing PERFECTION OR NOTHING arguments on HN, and it's disappointing.
- mikepurvis 8y ago
  > Only a fraction of homeless are homeless because they were priced out of their homes. Do you have a source for this? It seems excessively cruel and smacks of "othering" a group of vulnerable individuals. My impression is that many people/families teeter on the edge of poverty, and not having enough "low end" housing supply is a huge part of that. If your entire support network is in a single city than just moving somewhere cheaper isn't an option, nor is going out to the suburbs where a car is required. So then you have this yawning chasm from $0 for "homeless" up to $1000+ for "tiny apartment". Sure, maybe it's possible to split something with friends (if you have/trust them) or whatever, but it's not hard to see a cycle where job loss leads to home loss and suddenly it's impossible to get a job again because you're not properly slept or groomed. Having dorm-style housing options at a half or quarter the price of "tiny apartment" would double or quadruple the amount of runway you have after job loss or injury before you're caught in the cycle of unemployability.
- TulliusCicero 8y ago
  Cheaper housing costs also make it easier for the government to flat out give them free housing though.

vkou 8y ago

There are people who will be homeless, regardless of what your zoning laws are. An income of $0 doesn't quite get you a roof over your head, regardless of how cheap that roof is. An inability to function in modern society won't keep you inside an apartment, even if its a shitty dormitory. Zoning is only a part of the homeless problem. Only a fraction of homeless are homeless because they were priced out of their homes.

moate 8y ago
>> An income of $0 doesn't quite get you a roof over your head, regardless of how cheap that roof is. I mean if the cost is "$0" then it does. But people don't want shelters being erected in their neighborhoods either, because then you'd have a concentrated group of undesirables nearby...
beat 8y ago
That doesn't change the fact that zoning laws are a significant contributing factor for homelessness. I keep seeing PERFECTION OR NOTHING arguments on HN, and it's disappointing.
mikepurvis 8y ago
> Only a fraction of homeless are homeless because they were priced out of their homes. Do you have a source for this? It seems excessively cruel and smacks of "othering" a group of vulnerable individuals. My impression is that many people/families teeter on the edge of poverty, and not having enough "low end" housing supply is a huge part of that. If your entire support network is in a single city than just moving somewhere cheaper isn't an option, nor is going out to the suburbs where a car is required. So then you have this yawning chasm from $0 for "homeless" up to $1000+ for "tiny apartment". Sure, maybe it's possible to split something with friends (if you have/trust them) or whatever, but it's not hard to see a cycle where job loss leads to home loss and suddenly it's impossible to get a job again because you're not properly slept or groomed. Having dorm-style housing options at a half or quarter the price of "tiny apartment" would double or quadruple the amount of runway you have after job loss or injury before you're caught in the cycle of unemployability.
TulliusCicero 8y ago
Cheaper housing costs also make it easier for the government to flat out give them free housing though.