Saturday, December 09, 2017

Homelessness in a growth economy

"Los Angeles County's homeless population has soared 23% over last year despite increasing success in placing people in housing, according to the latest annual count released Wednesday. ... Homelessness also increased sharply in the city of Los Angeles, where the count of just over 34,000 was up 20% from 2016. ( LA Times May 31, 2017)  http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-homeless-count-20170530-story.html

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-isnt-alone-homeless-crisis-stretches-up-and-down-the-west-coast/

The city government had promised an additional $138 million this past year for homelessness, and I know it's a shock, but sometime governments don't deliver on their promises. But isn't it odd that the homelessness increased by 20% after the budget increase was announced in 2016? In Ohio where homelessness was decreasing all over the state (down 17%), it was increasing in Franklin County (24%) where I live. 

Low to zero unemployment, economic growth and soaring housing prices, which look good for marketing your city or county, also mean less affordable housing. And no one seems to want rotting mattresses, blanket tents and human waste in their neighborhood.





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