Click Banner For More Info See All Sponsors

So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!

This site is now closed permanently to new posts.
We recommend you use the new Townsy Cafe!

Click anywhere but the link to dismiss overlay!

Page 7 of 7 FirstFirst ... 3 4 5 6 7
Results 181 to 186 of 186

  • Share this thread on:
  • Follow: No Email   
  • Thread Tools
  1. TopTop #181
    tommy's Avatar
    tommy
     

    Re: Homeless Emergency on Joe Rodota Trail

    Jude,

    Yes, I invested in real estate, & bought multi family fixers in the early 90's. I got tired of working in a cubicle, and preferred the hands on approach of fixing up old properties. I never dreamed prices and values would increase like they have. The rents are now 4 times what they were. I've invested $75k - 150k in each unit, to fix them up, new roofs, bathrooms, kitchens, foundations, windows, plumbing, electric, etc. As the properties increased in value, I was able to refi the mortgages, to finance the repairs.

    I was opposed to rent control. There is now a CA rent control law, limiting rent increases to 5% + CPI/yr. However in Sonoma Co & some other counties, The Gov Emergency Proclamation limits rent increases to 10% since the 10/17 fires.

    All my units are at "affordable" rents. Half of my tenants are on Section 8. A few units I've not raised rents in years.

    "Affordable rents" are in line with Section 8 guidelines: up to $2100 for a 2 bedroom/1 bath house or apt in Santa Rosa. Yet "affordable" is a misnomer. For a couple to "afford" $2100 rent, each would have to be earning $22.50/hr & working full time, or one person making $45/hr & working full time. Many jobs do not pay that. Many jobs are part time. It can be hard to find a job that pays that. This results in the housing and homeless situation we are in now.

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Jude Iam: View Post
    Do you know this from having invested in real estate yourself - and accrued nearly a couple dozen units? Fixed up, gentrified, rented for 'market rates'?

    And did you fight against rent control when that was up for a vote? Or not?

    If you still have multiple units, as someone in a privileged and powerful position,
    are you renting some/any at "affordable" levels - and what might those be?

    Thanks for transparency, Jude
    Last edited by Barry; 03-01-2020 at 09:04 AM.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  2. Gratitude expressed by 4 members:

  3. TopTop #182
    podfish's Avatar
    podfish
     

    Re: Homeless Emergency on Joe Rodota Trail

    A little-houses project just opened down south:

    SFGate: San Jose opens tiny homes for the homeless. They are indeed tiny.
    Last edited by Barry; 03-03-2020 at 10:40 AM.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  4. Gratitude expressed by 2 members:

  5. TopTop #183
    SonomaPatientsCoop's Avatar
    SonomaPatientsCoop
     

    Re: Homeless Emergency on Joe Rodota Trail

    I've been traveling this country a lot the past few months...and I've seen a lot of homeless situations in various places...

    When I was in Eugene OR recently, which apparently has the largest homeless population in the US (per capita I assume)... I didn't see the associated problems we see here.

    I was walking by the main bus station early one morning and saw a small container w/ a staff person that offered "day storage" of the homeless belongings. I wasn't sure if this was for profit, a city/county/state thing, or a non-profit. So I did some research and found this article (among others).

    The storage program is overseen by the local St Vincents DePaul, and gives the homeless a safe place to store their belongings during they day while they go seek services.... or simply go about their lives.

    Whitebird- the clinic that came out of the hippies in the 60's also runs CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The streets) which runs 24hr mobile crisis intervention.

    And while it's not mentioned in the article I linked to- I saw quite a few businesses in Eugene- especially the heavily impacted and evolving NW part of Eugene, that had allowed a homeless person or two to set up camp on their property. Talking to some of the business people, apparently there is a move among some of them to allow this in exchange for the homeless doing a few hours of work keeping the area clean (and presumably keeping the larger homeless population away and causing problems).

    Now...to be clear... I'll admit a substantial part of Eugenes homeless problem...as is here in CA, is that there are a lot of services available and a political climate that keeps them from being arrested and run out of town. So, as here, a substantial portion of the. homeless are not local but have come here for "easier" living. Which of course complicates the issue of helping those locals who are falling through the cracks and have the best odds of rejoining society if they are helped in a timely manner...
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  6. Gratitude expressed by 4 members:

  7. TopTop #184
    finnie
     

    Re: Homeless Emergency on Joe Rodota Trail

    it's a misconception that homeless services are attracting people from elsewhere.
    in fact, 87% of people polled in the 2019 homeless census said that they had already been living in sonoma county prior to becoming homeless here.
    Quote Posted in reply to the post by SonomaPatientsCoop: View Post
    ... here in CA, is that there are a lot of services available and a political climate that keeps them from being arrested and run out of town. So, as here, a substantial portion of the. homeless are not local but have come here for "easier" living. ...
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  8. Gratitude expressed by:

  9. TopTop #185
    podfish's Avatar
    podfish
     

    Re: Homeless Emergency on Joe Rodota Trail

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by finnie: View Post
    it's a misconception that homeless services are attracting people from elsewhere.
    in fact, 87% of people polled in the 2019 homeless census said that they had already been living in sonoma county prior to becoming homeless here.
    and of course, if you polled the housed people about how many had been living in Sonoma county for a long time, I'd expect similar numbers - or even lower.

    And sure, it's a problem to have differentials like that in regions. The answer isn't to race to the bottom, it's to more widely share benefits and responsibilities. That's kinda the reason for being part of a larger political organization than a tribal village.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  10. TopTop #186
    SonomaPatientsCoop's Avatar
    SonomaPatientsCoop
     

    Re: Homeless Emergency on Joe Rodota Trail

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by finnie: View Post
    it's a misconception that homeless services are attracting people from elsewhere....
    Hmm. If you've read my posts on this issue you will know I was homeless many years ago. And there is *definitely* a circuit on the west coast (and the US in general). The "left coast" has the best option for services and care. And a substantial portion of the population bounces to the NW during summer, coming south in winter.

    And... from experience, the homeless will tell you whatever they think you want to hear, and what is least likely to get them hassled.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  11. Gratitude expressed by 2 members:

Similar Threads

  1. Homeless encampments along the Joe Rodota Trail
    By Barry in forum General Community
    Replies: 146
    Last Post: 12-28-2019, 11:36 AM
  2. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 11-25-2019, 07:11 PM
  3. Replies: 21
    Last Post: 11-17-2019, 04:14 PM
  4. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 06-03-2013, 06:36 PM

Tags (user supplied keywords) for this Thread

Bookmarks