3 ms·

Of course they're not solving the root of the problem. The issue of homelessness is not caused by a lack of homes.

by jklinger410 2y ago

zeroonetwothree 2y ago
It sure seems like the places with the most homeless have the most expensive housing markets.
- wongarsu 2y ago
  Because those are the most desirable places to live. Homeless people move too. Granted, there are homeless people who have a stable life but work a job that just doesn't pay enough to afford a home, or people who are between jobs and are temporarily homeless. But those people generally sleep in a car, cause few problems, are largely invisible, have most of their needs met in some way, and are generally not the people we are concerned about when talking about "the homeless". The Homeless™ usually have more complex issues like untreated psychological issues, drug problems, etc. And while the previous group would rejoice about small cheap housing, it does little to solve the issues of The Homeless™.
- jeffalyanak 2y ago
  Most expensive homes yes, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of livable homes and apartments that are _empty_ at any given time. Canada has a lot of vacant houses.
  - Maxatar 2y ago
    Canada has one of the lowest home vacancy rates among the OECD countries and currently at the lowest rate it's been in 40 years: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/data/datasets/affordable-housing-database/hm1-1-housing-stock-and-construction.pdf https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/data/datasets/affor...
    - jeffalyanak 2y ago
      That paper doesn't disprove my point. It indicates ~7% home vacancy, which means the total number of vacant homes is higher than the number of people without homes.
grouchypumpkin 2y ago
I believe current research says the root cause of homelessness is lack of affordable housing in a city. Drugs and mental illness are important, but still secondary factors.

3 ms·

Of course they're not solving the root of the problem. The issue of homelessness is not caused by a lack of homes.

by jklinger410 2y ago

Of course they're not solving the root of the problem. The issue of homelessness is not caused by a lack of homes.

zeroonetwothree 2y ago
It sure seems like the places with the most homeless have the most expensive housing markets.
- wongarsu 2y ago
  Because those are the most desirable places to live. Homeless people move too. Granted, there are homeless people who have a stable life but work a job that just doesn't pay enough to afford a home, or people who are between jobs and are temporarily homeless. But those people generally sleep in a car, cause few problems, are largely invisible, have most of their needs met in some way, and are generally not the people we are concerned about when talking about "the homeless". The Homeless™ usually have more complex issues like untreated psychological issues, drug problems, etc. And while the previous group would rejoice about small cheap housing, it does little to solve the issues of The Homeless™.
- jeffalyanak 2y ago
  Most expensive homes yes, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of livable homes and apartments that are _empty_ at any given time. Canada has a lot of vacant houses.
  - Maxatar 2y ago
    Canada has one of the lowest home vacancy rates among the OECD countries and currently at the lowest rate it's been in 40 years: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/data/datasets/affordable-housing-database/hm1-1-housing-stock-and-construction.pdf https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/data/datasets/affor...
    - jeffalyanak 2y ago
      That paper doesn't disprove my point. It indicates ~7% home vacancy, which means the total number of vacant homes is higher than the number of people without homes.
grouchypumpkin 2y ago
I believe current research says the root cause of homelessness is lack of affordable housing in a city. Drugs and mental illness are important, but still secondary factors.