“As a social worker who has worked with the unhoused community in the Bay Area for over 5 years..... I wish people would acknowledge the role substance use plays in all of this. There are a large number of unhoused people in the Bay Area that refuse housing because they do not want to spend even 30% of their SSI/SSDI income on housing. Rather, this money is used on substance use. I think the local media and city leaders need to speak of the homelessness issue has not just an affordable housing issue, but as a substance use issue as well.” - Posted Comment on Berkeleyside /November 9, 2020:
I live in Berkeley California. Berkeley has a huge unsheltered homeless population. Berkeley even made it on the “Top Ten” list of US Cities with the Most Homeless People:
A lack of affordable housing is typically put forth as the main cause of homelessness in the US, especially in the big cities on the west coast. Without a doubt, it’s expensive to live in these cities:
Unfortunately, most of the chronic and unsheltered homeless are either unable or unwilling to work. For example, according to San Francisco’s latest homeless count, just 11% of the respondents reported they were employed, whether full-time, part-time, sporadically, or in seasonal/temporary jobs. And just 14% of those working reported they made more than $1500 a month. That means 1.5% of all the homeless interviewed for the San Francisco count earned more than $1500 a month (.11 x .14 = 1.5%). Think about it: as a rule, low-income people should not spend more than 30% of their income on rent - and 30% of $1500 is just $450. Over 98% of San Francisco’s homeless could not afford even that piddling amount of rent.
Of the chronic homeless interviewed for the San Francisco’s homeless count, 63% reported substance abuse problems, 53% psychiatric or emotional problems, and 21% traumatic brain injury. In their current condition, these individuals would make poor workers and rotten roommates. Affordable housing isn’t going to help them stay off the streets, because they are too unstable to reliably come up with the rent or get along with their roommates. They first need to get stabilized, which will require subsidized housing and plenty of services. For ideas on how to accomplish that without breaking the bank or encouraging dependency, see:
How to House the Chronically Homeless without Breaking the Bank or Encouraging Dependency
Housing the Chronically Homeless - Affordably! Part II: Breaking Down the Costs
Housing the Chronically Homeless - Affordably! Part I: Some Concrete Suggestions