POSTS

LARGEST UNHOUSED STUDY UPENDS MYTHS

“People are homeless because their rent is too high. Their options are too few. And they have no cushion. It really makes you wonder how different things would look if we could solve that underlying problem.”

Dr. Margot Kushel, initiative director and lead investigator, and Professor of Medicine and Division Chief at the Division of Vulnerable Populations at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and Director of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations and UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) research released on Tuesday revealed that 90% of this state's homeless population lost their housing in California, with 75% of them now living in the same county where they were last housed. The study further found that nearly 9 out of 10 people reported that the cost of housing was the main barrier to leaving homelessness.

The homeless are overwhelmingly from the communities where they now live unhoused. They are our neighbors and members of our community.

The research from UCSF’s Benioff Homeless and Housing Initiative, based on a representative survey of nearly 3,200 unhoused people, contradicts several persistent myths about the population, including that most unhoused people come from out of state to take advantage of services, as well as stereotypes that homeless people are mostly young adults who prefer to live outside and don’t want help. California is home to more than 171,000 people experiencing homelessness, comprising 30% of the homeless population in the US and half of all Americans who are unsheltered and living outside. California is considered the most unaffordable state for housing.

Minimum-wage earners would have to work nearly 90 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom apartment in California.

The study further found that among the older population, 41% said they experienced their first episode of homelessness after age 50. Most participants in the research reported that the cost of living had become unsustainable before they lost housing, reporting a monthly median household income of $960 in the six months before homelessness.

Researchers reported that participants had endured significant trauma, with two-thirds reporting mental health symptoms, more than a third experiencing physical or sexual violence during homelessness, and more than a third visiting an emergency department in the past six months. Access to care and treatment was also a major challenge cited, with one in five who use substances reporting that they wanted treatment but could not obtain it.

The study was done at the request of Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, but was not funded by the state. Article appeared in The Guardian.

A PLACE OF WELLNESS FOR HOMELESS VETS

Deliberately understated, Summerset Village is a container housing community designed to be a place of "calm" and "normalcy".

This project for homeless veterans is planned for a one acre site in Palmdale, California and designed for 69 apartments with community gathering space and a building for job training and other activities. Palmdale is a unique opportunity to put into the market our approach to homelessness: house, heal, train and employ. Palmdale is home to Northrop Grumman… a firm with a profound commitment to the veteran community. It is our intent to collaborate with Northrup to train veterans to work at Northrup... and move them out of the cycle of homelessness.

As a firm that is know for progressive and exciting design, our goal for this project was deliberately different. We want to create something that was “calm” and “normal”… not a dystopian image of container housing modules... for veterans with serious emotional issues. We wanted a background building that would not diminish property values. A wellness community that, on second glance, would resonate as a nice place… something better than expected… and a place of calm and normalcy on the way to a better life.

I AM ASHAMED

In the middle of a world wide pandemic, there are 40 million Americans living in poverty... and over 630,000 homeless folks in the greatest country in the world. There are over 151,278 homeless in my State of California. There are over 67,000 homeless veterans who sacrificed for a country that won two world wars and vanquished fascism and genocide. An imperfect country to be sure. But there is no greater example of a united people standing up for what is right. There is nothing Americans can't accomplish. My father, a social justice warrior, once said that this country could end poverty... if only we wanted to. Obviously, poverty still serves the needs of some. For the rest of us, continued poverty and homelessness robs us of our own humanity.

I am done being polite.

You would be forgiven if you thought our government allocated huge sums of money towards solving this problem. It did. But, as someone who has been navigating the system to provide homeless housing for veterans, let me tell you: the system is absolutely broken. Its not even designed for success. For all of Los Angeles county there are only 400 vouchers available for the homeless in 2021. 400. And as a developer, it's almost impossible to secure vouchers. Sadly, our elected representatives, including the Governor, will not respond to phone calls, emails, or prayers. Yes, there is a pandemic. Yes, we must have priorities. But, this is a problem that is absolutely solvable right now.

Now, it's up to the private sector. Capitalism in pursuit of its own enlightened self interest is a wonderous thing. Making people whole and integrating them back into society brings manifold benefits... spiritual and financial... to society and to us all.

We seek partners, businesses, and individuals who can help us move housing for the homeless and homeless veterans quickly into the marketplace. We can provide affordable workforce housing for teachers, police, nurses and all those other "critical workers" who make our communities possible... and allow them to live within the communities they serve. We can provide housing in large numbers in only 8 months... not 3-5 years. We can provide well designed, modern apartments at significantly less cost than the average cost of $800,000 per unit that is being paid in Los Angeles... and in half the time. We can move the homeless off the street into "wellness communities" where we will house, heal, train and employ veterans and the homeless in collaboration with Fortune 500 Companies.

Next time you drive past that homeless tent encampment, feel your shame and find your will to do something... now. Together, there is nothing we can't do to better the human condition. Lets talk.