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There is zero evidence that homelessness is caused to any substantial degree by high housing costs. The kind of people who are chronically homeless at $3000/mo/

There is zero evidence that homelessness is caused to any substantial degree by high housing costs. The kind of people who are chronically homeless at $3000/mo/1br are also chronically homeless at $1000/mo/1br. They usually have some kind of mental problem or drug addiction, not just “they can’t afford rent”. The people at the margins of being able to afford housing usually just move elsewhere, rather than end up on the streets.

mikeyouse 6y ago
Zero evidence? That charging more for housing increases the number of people that cant afford housing? It’s tautological... The majority of San Francisco’s homeless are from San Francisco and were recently homed.. if not for cost, what’s causing people with stable housing to end up on the streets?
cheriot 6y ago
High housing costs make people financially vulnerable. Then all it takes is illness or an unexpected bill to miss rent and get evicted. High housing costs mean housing vouchers cover fewer people with its budget. > They usually have some kind of mental problem or drug addiction, not just “they can’t afford rent”. I suspect you're making assumptions based on the more visible homeless people you see, but if there's any data to back that up I'd love to see it. calmatters.org does some of the best reporting on housing and homelessness topics. For example https://calmatters.org/explainers/californias-homelessness-crisis-explained/ https://calmatters.org/explainers/californias-homelessness-c...
- refurb 6y ago
  SFgov 2019 survey on homelessness (page 70) [1] "Do you have any of the following health conditions?" Drug or alcohol abuse - 37% Any psychiatric or emotional condition - 35% Those are the top two health conditions identified. There is obviously overlap since the total of all of the answers is >100%. [1]https://hsh.sfgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2019HIRDReport_SanFrancisco_FinalDraft-1.pdf https://hsh.sfgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2019HIRDRep...
  - DanBC 6y ago
    If the argument is how people become homeless, rather than why they stay homeless, we need to be a little bit careful with causal direction. Some people become homeless because they are mentally ill and can't maintain a tenancy. Some people develop a mental illness after becoming homeless because it's living on the street is pretty stressful.

mikeyouse 6y ago

Zero evidence? That charging more for housing increases the number of people that cant afford housing? It’s tautological... The majority of San Francisco’s homeless are from San Francisco and were recently homed.. if not for cost, what’s causing people with stable housing to end up on the streets?

cheriot 6y ago

High housing costs make people financially vulnerable. Then all it takes is illness or an unexpected bill to miss rent and get evicted. High housing costs mean housing vouchers cover fewer people with its budget. > They usually have some kind of mental problem or drug addiction, not just “they can’t afford rent”. I suspect you're making assumptions based on the more visible homeless people you see, but if there's any data to back that up I'd love to see it. calmatters.org does some of the best reporting on housing and homelessness topics. For example https://calmatters.org/explainers/californias-homelessness-crisis-explained/ https://calmatters.org/explainers/californias-homelessness-c...

refurb 6y ago
SFgov 2019 survey on homelessness (page 70) [1] "Do you have any of the following health conditions?" Drug or alcohol abuse - 37% Any psychiatric or emotional condition - 35% Those are the top two health conditions identified. There is obviously overlap since the total of all of the answers is >100%. [1]https://hsh.sfgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2019HIRDReport_SanFrancisco_FinalDraft-1.pdf https://hsh.sfgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2019HIRDRep...
- DanBC 6y ago
  If the argument is how people become homeless, rather than why they stay homeless, we need to be a little bit careful with causal direction. Some people become homeless because they are mentally ill and can't maintain a tenancy. Some people develop a mental illness after becoming homeless because it's living on the street is pretty stressful.