Warehouse occupancy crackdowns following the tragic "Ghost Ship" fire continue to thwart solutions for an enormous housing crisis.
The United States has a dire need for affordable rental housing, a need which has increased yearly but has been ignored by almost everyone except the 60% of Americans who are experiencing it.
Here is not only the greatest poverty level in the developed world, but also vast homelessness and the weakest "safety net."
In most US cities, there are only 20 affordable safe, available rental units for every 100 renters. On frigid nights, shelters lack space for burgeoning numbers of homeless.
This began long before gentrification forced long-term residents to leave apartments and homes. With US minimum wage less than in 1968, it is almost impossible for workers to rise above low-income.
I've often slipped between worlds of sharp divisions others might avoid. I've known hundreds who have lived in houses for most of their lives, often starting out on their own because someone (a parent, or other relative) signs for or helps them get a home (which is necessary for a stable life). They can't, or would rather not, comprehend how difficult it is for over half the US population to maintain shelter. Numerous times, fortunate adults, as well as college students, have told me that the homeless "have no one to blame but themselves."
I've also sadly known too many very poor to ever believe this. Those who cannot afford food or medical or dental care, and are on housing assistance lists with wait times of 5 or more years, and nowhere to wait, can hardly attend to all the demands and details imperative for a prosperous life.
The Ghost Ship and other collectives are but one attempt to cope with a serious problem that is ignored by a country that could change it.
The media quickly forgets a warehouse fire killing 36. And instead of seeking solutions to the rental crisis, there is a crackdown on warehouse/collective occupancies, and homelessness increases.
This is the United States in the 21st century while a new administration includes Goldman Sachs/big oil executives, and plans vast tax cuts for the wealthiest but new taxes on the very poorest citizens.
The United States has a dire need for affordable rental housing, a need which has increased yearly but has been ignored by almost everyone except the 60% of Americans who are experiencing it.
Here is not only the greatest poverty level in the developed world, but also vast homelessness and the weakest "safety net."
In most US cities, there are only 20 affordable safe, available rental units for every 100 renters. On frigid nights, shelters lack space for burgeoning numbers of homeless.
This began long before gentrification forced long-term residents to leave apartments and homes. With US minimum wage less than in 1968, it is almost impossible for workers to rise above low-income.
I've often slipped between worlds of sharp divisions others might avoid. I've known hundreds who have lived in houses for most of their lives, often starting out on their own because someone (a parent, or other relative) signs for or helps them get a home (which is necessary for a stable life). They can't, or would rather not, comprehend how difficult it is for over half the US population to maintain shelter. Numerous times, fortunate adults, as well as college students, have told me that the homeless "have no one to blame but themselves."
I've also sadly known too many very poor to ever believe this. Those who cannot afford food or medical or dental care, and are on housing assistance lists with wait times of 5 or more years, and nowhere to wait, can hardly attend to all the demands and details imperative for a prosperous life.
The Ghost Ship and other collectives are but one attempt to cope with a serious problem that is ignored by a country that could change it.
The media quickly forgets a warehouse fire killing 36. And instead of seeking solutions to the rental crisis, there is a crackdown on warehouse/collective occupancies, and homelessness increases.
This is the United States in the 21st century while a new administration includes Goldman Sachs/big oil executives, and plans vast tax cuts for the wealthiest but new taxes on the very poorest citizens.
