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I think it’s hard to compare West Virginia to Portland, and conclude that the differences are a result of policy decisions.
by klodolph 3y ago
I think it’s hard to compare West Virginia to Portland, and conclude that the differences are a result of policy decisions.
- jpadkins 3y agocan you expand upon that? What else other than policy decisions would have a major impact? demographics?
- klodolph 3y agoWikipedia pegs the largest city in West Virginia as Charleston, pop 48,000. Portland is population 650,000 with over twice the density. Homelessness is an easier problem to solve when you have fewer people and more available land per person.
- AdamN 3y agoOne's a major regional metropolis built on top of trade and the other is a rural area built on top of coal mining. You would need to add 2 more locations to make it closer to a social science examination, perhaps New Orleans and the Powder River Basin in Wyoming.
- breakyerself 3y agoNo West Virginia didn't make housing affordable through policy, but the fact that housing is affordable and homelessness is low despite high levels of drug addiction highlights that housing costs are a powerful control knob for homelessness and blaming drug addiction is a red herring.