News

May 22, 2023

Tent Citizen By Choice Builds Community

Please stop lionizing this place as some sort of egalitarian paradise for people fighting high rents. Most of the people who stay there have a combination of addiction and mental health issues and

Please stop lionizing this place as some sort of egalitarian paradise for people fighting high rents. Most of the people who stay there have a combination of addiction and mental health issues and allowing them to continue living like this is not empathetic. The framing of the pictures is deliberately hiding the reality of what that area really looks like: there are trash piles the size of sedans down there and the area is covered in used needles and human waste just feet from where people play soccer.

Christian BruckhartJan 10, 2023 9:44 amFlagPlease stop lionizing this place as some sort of egalitarian paradise for people fighting high rents.High rents is a problem.In fact.Rising rents and persistent inflation increase the risk for people becoming homeless and serve as barriers to people who are trying to exit homelessness. A study,By researchers at the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated that a $100 increase in median rent was associated with a 9% increase in the estimated homelessness rate.They also found.Rent Inflation is a Concern.They also found.These staggering rent increases are happening as a broader inflation wave has hit the country. Inflation reached a 40-year peak of 8.6 percent from May 2021 to May 2022. Increased spending on essentials such as food, energy, transportation, and health care may cause households to fall behind on housing payments.And that Older adults particularly feel this pressure.They said, A combination of fixed incomes, climbing rents, and higher prices have caused increased risk of homelessness among this population. Some patronize food banks or skip meals and there medicine just so that more of their Social Security income can go towards rent.I do not hear any of you crying out about this.Today, the United States is announcing that we are prepared to provide more than $1 billion in new funding towards humanitarian assistance for those affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine and its severe impacts around the world, including a marked rise in food insecurity, over the coming months. This funding will provide food, shelter, clean water, medical supplies and other forms of assistance. We are also announcing an additional $320 million in democracy and human rights funding to Ukraine and its neighbors. Since 2021, the United States has provided over $1.1 billion in economic, health, democracy and human rights, and humanitarian assistance to the Europe and Eurasia region.So where is the money for our people?

These are straw man arguments, fyi. The people referenced in this article aren’t living there because of housing costs, they’re living there due to a combination of mental health and substance abuse issues. And I’d rather see our tax dollars spent here than in Ukraine.