[edg5000]

Great writeup. I appreciate the bravery.

To solve the housing issues, all we have to do is build basic soviet-era apartment buildings everywhere and all will be good. The fact that we don't do this in many countries with crippling real estate situations must be a symptom of much larger underlying systemic issues. The future will hold a great many things but also some unavoidable and painful refactoring of leadership.

[snarf21]

Too many in our country are against this because it isn't "fair". Everyone must pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. Homeless is an easy problem to solve and generally not that expensive. It is a political issue no one is willing to risk.

[edg5000]

Probably I'm being naive, but what do you mean? I'm saying one way or another, apartments need to get built, either by government or private. As long as at the end of the day, as many small studios as needed to house absolutely everybody become available for, say, 500 USD/month (or less?). It then becomes a matter of what to do with those who do not manage to get a job. Anybody with drug issues needs to go into state rehab until they are willing and able to function and get a job.

I think the challenge is these sub 500 studios. It requires a functioning economy and state. E.g. land, utilities, zoning, infra, public services, law enforcement, medical, schools; all these things are needed to support housing. So maybe what is missing is a society, with housing just being the symptom, the manifestation, the telltale sign that there is not enough civilisation to support the people currently residing in some of these problematic states.

In 2023, CA population reduced by 268052 people, that is only 0.6% the the 40 mil population though. If 1% leaves every year, I believe that will compound into an 8% drop in a 10 year period. In 20 years, that will be 17%. Maybe that will help aleviate the burden a bit.