Multnomah County offered free tiny homes if residents housed the homeless. Here’s what happened

[@duanedragon2]

I live in Portland. The homeless industrial complex is a black hole for millions of dollars a year. There is zero accountability, no plan, and incessant pressure to waste taxpayer's money for no results. Complete boondoggle if you don't count the hundreds of leaders in these "non-profits" earning six figure incomes. They do not want to fix the problem, that would cut into their bottom line. The problem is worse than ever.

[@yeroca]

What's your solution? It's easy to complain.

[@oldskooldriver9379]

@@yeroca I think he's saying THIS isn't the right solution, and to hire real experts on solving the homeless problem.

[@duanedragon2]

@@yeroca Eradicate the homeless overnight by jail or treatment. There is no rock bottom anymore. Contingent case managed housing or jail. This problem was allowed to fester for far too long and the correction will be MUCH more painful than just not allowing it to begin. 60% of homeless in Portland aren't even from here. We are the dumping ground for every other states problem children. Do you have no stomach for change? Will you lay down and submit while Portland is torn apart? What's your solution? Easy to criticize. Do you not have eyes that see? What Portland is doing is making the problem WORSE.

[@alpal87]

Agreed.

[@jasonbrotherton]

@@yeroca criminalize drug abuse

[@kathrynw3]

The real travesty is the price that these builders charged to build these tiny houses in the first place, this smells of kickbacks and fraud to me.

[@happyd1479]

Seriously for 80k u can buy a couple of single wides for people which are bigger than these

[@cherylm2C6671]

There may be. But on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis, there should not be an industry of poverty.

[@kathrynw3]

@@cherylm2C6671 I agree but what we are seeing now is the beginning of the next great depression brought on from greed at all levels and accelerated by the introduction of A.I and robotics if you think this is bad I'm afraid that we are going to look back in a few years at these times and remember these as the good times as crazy as that sounds.

[@VA-gu1jq]

These are prevailing wage jobs. That accounts for most of that budget. That was actually the least corrupt part of the whole thing. Those non profits operate with little expectations and the exec salaries are what absorb most of the money.

[@greenspiraldragon]

People think these tiny homes will be cheap. Turns out they are not that cheap. You can get a cheap travel trailer for around 15K. You can buy a decent sized storage shed for a couple thous and convert it for maybe another couple thous.

[@johnwingfield1460]

Make sure I got this straight. The owners of the land allowed the city to build these structures on their property with the understanding that they would get possession after 5 years. In the meantime, they collected no rent, ceded use of their property for five years, and had to deal with the issues of having strangers living in their backyards. NOW, they have to pay for the structures? This is why it's better never to do business of any kind with the government. They make the rules and the rules always favor the government, not the governed.

[@topomusicale5580]

Yep, ridiculous. The proper response to them saying, "well you can buy it at fair market value" would be, "Well, not interested, you can take it off my property thank you. You have 30 days."

[@pandabear1341]

Never do business with the government unless you are a military contractor where price gouging runs rampant and is never challenged, and the budget keeps being increased even though everyone knows price gouging runs rampant and is never challenged

[@SgtJoeSmith]

plus the main home owners paid utilities for them! and higher property taxes and higher insurance!

[@elstongunn4277]

@@SgtJoeSmith I’ll bet the utilities were free. You do have a point about higher property taxes and insurance. Those homeowners were dumb to put themselves in that position. Well, it was Portland, after all.

[@SgtJoeSmith]

@@elstongunn4277 hey i dont know but someone had to be paying water, sewer electric and maybe gas. i bet the people living there werent. those tiny houses were a property improvement. so more taxes. and more insurance for another structure and living quarters. unless city said we wont raise taxes. but city dont control insurance. unless program paid the insurance on them????? id be requiring person in my back yard to clean house and do yard work for rent or say no deal. or charge city half the mortgage. the people that signed up. did they think they could easily rent them out after 5 years? if they werent destryed by drug addicts by then? oh heres a nice air bnb in a shack in someones back yard! lets stay there!

[@VinceVDC]

$135000 to build a 300 sq foot house? It's no wonder housing is unaffordable...

[@mtnbiker4480]

It's amazing what government employees can do with other people's money. Always helpful to follow the money trail. The poverty industry has no incentive to fix poverty and homelessness.

[@jeffg1524]

Point taken, but private companies wouldn't do this themselves because there's no incentive. Government is usually the "only" agency that will tackle large societal problems. Yes, there is waste. There's waste in private business, too. Don't be fooled. You can't imagine how much even large corporations have to budget for waste, fraud and mis-management.

[@barbaralouise_]

​@@jeffg1524Words well spoken. I agree completely.

[@jeffg1524]

@@barbaralouise_ Thank you, Barb. 💗

[@AbsentMinded619]

Non-government entities of all kinds can and do perform better at tackling these problems. Even businesses. I’m not sure why you’d assume that people don’t have compassion or a drive to help their own neighbors, unless they work for the government. It’s the opposite. The State usually hinders grassroots efforts at helping people, despite private citizens usually being more efficient and getting better results.

[@magic1554]

Lack of accountability? Within the Government?? No way! Color me shocked.

[@chrissinclair4442]

No, they know what they are doing. Government sanctioned money laundering.

[@yeevita]

Lack of accountability among humans? Color me shocked!

[@canileaveitblank1476]

It’s not really a government program. Only a grant provided by government. After the $ is distributed , gov waded it’s hands. It’s all a grift.

[@zkeletonz001]

It's best to always assume that the gov't, and the people in it, don't give a damn about you and never will.

[@Merzui-kg8ds]

The government is you, remember? When you whine about "government", make sure you are looking in the mirror.

[@grumpyoldlady_rants]

First off, there is no reason for those tiny houses to cost over $100k. Secondly, whomever was in charge of implementing this program needs to be investigated.

[@lajya01]

You could probably get that built for half of that and 10 times less as a DIY project. But since if it's a public contract, it HAS to be more expensive.

[@OmegaZyion]

Well, you have to pay the administrator their salary, and then the salary of their secretary, and then the lawyer's salary as well as any number of pencil pushers working for the non-profit. And only after all of that, can you pay the salaries of the contractors who then spend the money to build the equivalent of a tiny shed. They probably only spent 10% of that $100k on the actual materials and furnishings. That's how government functions, and that's why government welfare programs almost always fail.

[@lajya01]

@@OmegaZyion I've worked in public sector for 20 years and I can confirm the amount of dipping and incompetency is insane.

[@oatlord]

I looked into the tiny houses once. They cost about that much. Was stunned.

[@thothheartmaat2833]

@@OmegaZyion theres no way a bunch of people were focused full time on that alone.. its more like a side hustle..

[@alpal87]

Why don’t the gov officials start by putting them in their own backyard

[@SgtJoeSmith]

they didnt have room by the pool and private 9 hole golf course

[@perry92964]

no one forced them to do it it was all voulntary

[@maryhensley2597]

Yes, lead by example, great idea!!

[@SergeLynx89]

@@perry92964and yet they still do

[@lukeyznaga7627]

Ohhhhh, what an excellent 👌 idea! This should be mandatory.

[@pruzzilla3771]

One of my brothers took in a homeless woman and her teenage daughter. He traveled a lot and they had the bottom tier of the house to themselves. They stole from him numerous times and he caught them upstairs doing drugs with the daughter's boyfriend several times. He tried to evict them, but the pandemic was under way and the law said no. He said at least with everything shut down and working from home, he could be there to protect his stuff, but when they started reopening, he had to hire a lawyer to have them removed. And change the locks. The boyfriend was caught on camera breaking into the house. Not all homeless people are like this, but buyer beware, yes?

[@sundaymorning8875]

I am so sorry for that happened to your brother...bad people make us other homeless people look bad... please don't believe all homeless people are like that. I have been homeless for 3 years living in my car and I did stay with a woman who bless me but her son always came by selling drugs in her Yard then some drug dealers came looking for him and my life was put in danger. I kept telling them I don't smoke I don't do drugs I don't drink..I was shot in the leg, yet the weird part is the drug dealer apologize an paid for my hospital bill threw a 3rd party....I learned never to live with people again

[@laurenraine]

What they don't talk about enough is that a good sized percentage of the homeless population suffers from mental illness and drug addiction, which might as well be called mental illness. I would be very wary about sharing my property.

[@oshkoshbegone]

Not all, but most. It's a massive gamble and the odds are not in your favor.

[@rkkavanagh2059]

Your brother is a Idiot!

[@DK-zu6tt]

Addiction is very prevalent in our homeless population. Not all people, but honestly, if I were facing long-term homelessness, I'd self medicate too. This is why housing alone will never solve the problem. And we can't fix it unless we understand that many of the causations which result in homeless cause severe trauma, then chronic homelessness is another layer of trauma but cPTSD. It takes a lot of services to help these people move on. Therapy takes time, I know, I have been in therapy for 2.5 years for childhood cPTSD, and I know I have years to go. This is why solving this problem is so difficult. Universal Healthcare would go a long way, especially if it had mental health and substance abuse programs.

[@sunsprite4545]

I can't even imagine a scenario under which I would want homeless strangers moving into my backyard. Not even for a tiny home after 5 years, which the contract itself offering the home obviously was not enforceable even though it was the Government that dropped the ball and not the homeowner . Plus the type of people that might get shuffled in and out of your property is too unpredictable for me to want to take a chance. Imagine if you got an unstable violent person you couldn't get rid of. Would the government sue you and force you to house that person just because you signed up for that program?

[@lindanizamoff7981]

the contract was not enforceable because the government sold the houses to a nonprofit and the rules change.I'll bet those nonprofits do not pay any or a small amount of taxes on this tiny house and property.

[@havenbastion]

Are we going to talk about how $133,000 for building a shack is literally insane?

[@micyee4548]

Yes personally I can build it for 30,000 !! Government is just a scam organization

[@Littlepaw7]

It could have been done for way cheaper. Insane each unit for affordable housing is running over a quarter million per unit. Totally mismanagement and a mis use of taxpayer money. There has got to be a cheaper way to build affordable housing it has become a money pit in someone’s pockets. Someone told me it is the non profits that are mis managing money and their programs. He said no one takes accountability we need oversight and more accountability from these leaders and non profits. Some one has to force them to do the right thing by fining them for mismanagement and corruption. You must send someone to knock on their doors and make them assume responsibility and make them accountable you can’t wait for them to step up and do the right thing because they wont😢

[@sortasurvival5482]

A fully furnished shavk with all new appliances. They had to run plumbing, electrical,etc.Materials for the building shell are def not the majority of the cost.

[@BernardS4]

Many of the shelterless are building tiny homes for zero cost. maybe hire them?

[@DistracticusPrime]

We just built one (not in Multnomah Co.) for about $40k out of pocket. 800 square feet

[@barryon8706]

Going from "the tiny homes will be free in five years" to "the owner of the yard will have the option to pay hundreds of thousands of dollar in five years" isn't going to encourage adoption if this program is tried again.

[@Pleased2CU]

I'd like to know if legal documents were signed before the tiny home was placed in anyone's backyard. If not, both parties were unbelievely naive to enter into a "handshake agreement." There should have been documentation outlining expectations and requirements from both the homeowner and Multnomah County's side.

[@philgar7786]

Trump loves the uneducated.

[@flyoverkid55]

You don't get it. This isn't going to be " tried again ". Government bureaucrats are busily creating new and exciting ways to piss away taxpayer dollars while they get fat paychecks and enrich contractors.

[@friedenhiker1032]

The VA did the same thing, didn't help homeless veterans, stole all the money, and then shut down the program. When are people going to learn?

[@NathanSmutz]

The homeowners definitely provided "consideration". If there wasn't a legal document saying the county could change the deal, I'd guess the initial marketing of "free" could be considered a contract.

[@mjay4700]

What happened was all the funds were burned up by all the committees, chairman, analysts, etc. that were hired on to "head this project". After everyone got paid and milked the teet dry they handed it off to someone else and moved onto other ventures.

[@fortusvictus8297]

They have learned long ago they will never be called out, much less tarred and feathered or prosecuted. They can just take the money and run, and if anyone starts rocking the boat they will deal with them quietly because no one in the media is going to allow word to get out.

[@knit1purl1]

Sadly, I think you are right. This may be one reason solutions for people who would take full advantage of a hand up, won't get it.

[@chuckleberryfinn1992]

Yup. Failing upwards is typical fare for community organizers and such.

[@catalinawoody6954]

Moved on to another money scam.

[@AliciaGuitar]

Wait, $130,000+ for a single room house??? My 4 bedroom home only cost me $109,000 12 years ago! No way those tiny homes cost that much! Looks like a scam from the very start!

[@nitrocell9287]

So you think the cost of things stays the same over 12 years?

[@Nothing-zw3yd]

They did this in my city, put several tiny homes on a city owned lot in one of the worst neighborhoods. That was almost 10 years ago, and they were trashed within a year, now they just sit there empty and unkempt as far as I can see. The non-profit that got the money to build them got their money, didn't really help anyone, and skated with the payday. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[@nooneyouknow5516]

shouldn't be a surprise.... Yet they persist.

[@bobtepedino5661]

2:20 "Initially, Martha says, things went well. But then, relationships soured: there were 'challenging circumstances' causing stress among neighbors." Translation: The antisocial issues that lead to homelessness persisted in spite of the efforts of the do-gooders and the back-yard tenants made themselves unwelcome. THEN the County welshed on the deal and screwed-over the homeowners.

[@Angel-nu7fm]

Yep, read between those lines...the drinking, drugging, prostitution continued in a residential neighborhood. NEVER agree to take these folks in. Many are professionally needy and work the system they scream has failed them, though they never work either...

[@chrisfry436]

@@Angel-nu7fm And what if they refuse to leave after 5 yrs??? Tell me again the homeowners (that let these be built on their property) benefit in all this?

[@KingofCrusher]

The vetting system is just fucked, I mean I live in downtown portland and there are so many homeless people that just need a chance to get some footing, but seriously the majority of them here are beyond help. I work at a convenience store and I'd say from the last few years experience legit like 2/3 of these people are beyond help and just need to be locked up or committed to facilities.

[@ILoveJesusForeverAmen]

Spot on. The news story didn't address that reality. And reality, it is.

[@Born_Stellar]

@@KingofCrusher 2/3? I live in the homeless capital of canada (everyone sends us the homeless because we have good weather) and I worked at the bus depot for 14 years, and I would say 9/10 of homeless people are beyond any sort of real help (like getting a job and a house kind of help) and that last 1/10 person WANTS to be homeless. Spike is a good guy he just likes chillin on the street. Every other one was crazy or has a drug problem they don't want fixed.

[@dflowers1477]

I knew they would pull something. Making the homeowner pay current market value after they already gave up their backyards for free and dealt with everything for 5 years?! Sheesh!

[@fortusvictus8297]

Suckers are born every minute, and the Government and 'charity' groups have dealing with suckers down to a science.

[@Dee-743]

Let’s be honest. If they don’t know their local government will screw them by now then they will never get it.

[@lorireed8046]

Just the government money laundering again. People need to start waking up.

[@truthhurts5158]

They knew what the problems where when they started

[@canileaveitblank1476]

It’s a *GRIFT!*

[@dougworkman1596]

Sounds like a scam when scammers get their money they quit.

[@Jim-Tuner]

That is generally how it works. There is a vast industry that "farms" homeless people for money.

[@MB-xe8bb]

Most government programs are actually to give money to developers or bureaucrats.

[@chrisfry436]

And the woman running the thing with big plans to build 300 more!! then when they failed and asked why "Uhhhhhh, sorry I gotta go".

[@Robbedem]

Nah, it's politics. Spending a couple of 100K to teach people how to solve their issues doesn't show direct results and isn't marketable. Spending that money on building houses that won't solve anything on their own, is very marketable. (that's why we hear about it here on youtube)

[@Patrick.Weightman]

Nobody stopped to look around and think "wait a minute, I don't think a garden shed costs $100k to build??"

[@robbrown9337]

Time to start holding these non profits accountable.

[@allouttabubblegum1984]

I would love to see some lawsuits to hold these "nonprofits" and the inept Portland government accountable!

[@EricDMMiller]

Or some vigilantes!

[@takearight.]

“Non profits” are always about profits..oh and exempt from certain taxes..

[@cherylm2C6671]

What I can't understand is why this is so rampant in the first place, like a horrible carnival going around milking whole cities, but more targeted somehow.

[@brentt6714]

It's wild that there's seemingly no recourse for this. No lawsuits or anything?

[@shelbynamels973]

As a homeowner, why would you hire a lawyer and spend the money on a lawsuit with an uncertain outcome, that will drag on as a civil matter for years. If those tiny houses stay empty for too long, the homeowner can claim adverse possession.

[@PickleRick65]

1000 families applied, FOUR were chosen. Disgusting.

[@shawnkelly695]

I spent 2 yrs homeless sleeping in tents constantly harrassed by police and society. Total strangers with no idea what happened to me but yet judging me as a useless bum. Farm kid to truck driver and many losses and abuse from wife. Lost everything and ended up in the hospital then homeless with nothing. Turnef to petty crime to survive. Thankfully avoided the drugs and got back on track. Be kind to others in bad times. Never know what they dealt with to put them there. Dont have to have them live near you but dont be rude or mean to others you know nothing about. Tom petty, you dont know how it feels to be me. Great song for all.

[@tixximmi1]

And they took the best 4 and it still failed. It starts with fixing their mental health before you give them a home. Waste of money as usual.

[@PickleRick65]

@@shawnkelly695 - Damn your story sounds like mine. Glad you're doing better. Take care brother

[@JusticeAlways]

@@justynthyme Who is "Newsom"?

[@TheHonestPeanut]

@@tixximmi1 Blaming the victims as usual. At no point were the houseless said to be the problem, asshole. It went downhill when nameless people with power started destabilizing the operations. The rich sank it, not the poor. POS.

[@stanleyhape8427]

I can see how this would create problems. But to try and make these people pay for those homes at fair market value is completely ridiculous.

[@653j521]

Moral of this story is get it in writing.

[@thorn.charmer]

Just reeks of money grabbing, doesn't it?

[@jamespaul2587]

Exactly, the homeowners should demand to have the homes removed and original yard restored

[@canileaveitblank1476]

@@jamespaul2587 Demand? 😂

[@MeadowDay]

Life in a blue state 😒

[@basicprogrammer6147]

Here's what I think would help the most: 1. Constant sanitation pick up. Pick up all the litter, everyday. Eventually there will be far less litter and trash. 2. Roaming RVs with a 15 minute shower and a new change of clothes. That's it. Nothing else will work.

[@wrylife57]

I think those homeowners need to get an attorney. They agreed to have the home on their property and to allow people to live in it IN EXCHANGE for owning the house after five years. It is not the homeowner's fault that the program fell apart. They need an attorney.

[@bigedslobotomy]

Like almost every government program, this homeless program made everyone FEEL good in the beginning, but it takes more than feelings to REALLY help the homeless. You have to address root causes (mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, and a rotating-door justice system).

[@traveler320ak7]

Yep..I’m order to fix the problem it takes not feel god things like tough LOVE.

[@melissaa152]

Not only root causes. The homeless have to want to change their life and put forth personal initiative. And without those, nothing will ever change.

[@billyoung8118]

@@melissaa152 Exactly! I have a person in my circle that is homeless. I supported that person 10 years, with the only requirement is that they seek help getting off drugs. Never made a true effort. After 10 year of letting that person stay in my house for free and paying for all their food, etc., I kicked them to the curb. That person has been homeless ever since. They never wanted to quit drugs - even to this day. I have no regrets on my actions.

[@leechamlee1347]

​@Naes Galaxy such a childish and naive comment from someone that doesn't understand what they are referring to. That's Marxism for you

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

And addressing those root causes also takes more than fuzzy feelz. People seem to think mental illness is just about talking to a therapist and they don't understand how much of it can really only be treated with institutional living.

[@IIllIIllIIllIIll]

Homeowners were told it would be free, then they were told they had to buy it?? What? Did the program not waste ENOUGH money that they had to squeeze some out of the volunteers?

[@nobodyspecial4702]

Not to mention 130k builds you a 3k sq/ft home, not under 300 sq/ft. So much waste in government caring for homeless that it's ridiculous.

[@evegreenification]

It seems to me that part of the problem actually is that the city leaders are active in wanting us to be depressed and discouraged. They want us to feel angry and like things are unfair. I think there's evil intent. Certainly the lack of snow plowing which left people to pay out the wazoo for tows and their cars lying around vulnerable to break ins because some city official dude in an office was still staring confusedly at his phone weather app when people like me had shoveled my walk 4 hours earlier...It's just bs. These people act like they couldn't find the darn door in the morning, but yet they're busy at work screwing up every day, well dressed and paid by us.

[@bobwellman9717]

@@nobodyspecial4702 No! It doesn't!! My house is 800 sq/ft. and $370K at CURRENT market value in Portland, Oregon according to Zillow and other sources! Where did you get YOUR facts?

[@chrisjackson1215]

@@bobwellman9717 Where do you get YOUR facts? The city got the land for free and they don't have to worry about paying for permits or any kind of tax. Building the home is the cheap part, it's everything else that's expensive.

[@nobodyspecial4702]

@@bobwellman9717 So, you're saying your stuck in Portland because Zillow overvalues your house and nobody with any intelligence will buy it. Now, here's what you clearly can't understand, so I will use small words. What a house is worth and what it costs to build are completely different. If you think it's cost 370k to build a 800 sq/ft house, then you are a fool. It costs about 30k tops.

[@marisamartin3664]

Let the officials allow homeless people live in their yards. They are mostly the ones who caused this poverty and drug use.

[@AmyC28713]

Actually it was when Jimmy Carter's administration agreed that the majority involuntary committals were deemed unconstitutional. This is the result of a 50 year ruling.

[@americandissident9062]

Repeat after me: Homeless people are not homeless because of what anyone else does. They’re homeless because they’re not able to function in normal society.

[@steveinoz8188]

In Oregon, the average cost to build a brand-new home average at about $135 per square foot. So 300 sq ft means $40,000. Not over $100,000.

[@johnbosman3219]

"I'm from the government and I'm here to help." The official introduction to failure.

[@therickandbillieshow9803]

I'm a retired human services worker and I can tell you why this failed. All of the programs start with a bucket of money to get the project up and running. The issue is this. None of the grants ever want to pay for salaries, they only cover the "hardware" part of the program. Once the program is started the agency then has to start looking for money to pay for the employee part of the program. That pot of money has to constantly be fundraised because you typically never get enough to pay for more than a year worth of salaries, and because they get so little money for salaries, the only employees they can afford to hire are usually kids right out of college. Three problems there. One, no one can live on those small wages, so the employees only stay long enough to put something on their resume, then move on to better paying jobs with benefits. Typically, these programs never offer benefits. Secondly, because the original grant only pays for housing and furniture, there is never really a program developed to actually manage the clients involved. So you get a constantly changing workforce with no experience and no real program. The folks in these programs typically need a host of services and a significant amount of time to keep them stable enough to maintain housing. Because social service programs have to fundraised constantly these services are often, as is the case with the Portland program, passed around from agency to agency. So you get no continuity of service to the participants, who then fail to stay housed or simply give up and quit.

[@robertwoodpa6463]

So what you need is more money. That's always the liberal answer isn't it?

[@kensmith5694]

@@robertwoodpa6463 No, it really is "if you can't sustain it don't start it". Notice that he said the grants only pay for hardware.

[@SisterWomen]

The people who end up pocketing the money know how to keep it for themselves while creating a guise of giving it to the needy.

[@davidconner-shover51]

@@robertwoodpa6463 Tis the way of grants, they typically only cover the capital equipment, in this case the houses. rarely the cost of program upkeep. An example; the local transit authority landed a relatively huge federal grant for upgrades, with it, they got nice new busses, spiffy new heated bus stations, maintenance facility upgrades, the works. the only problem is that the grant did not cover the day to day expenses of all the new capital equipment. no additional bus drivers or mechanics, they did have to hire more facilities staff to cover all the additional assets, they ended up not hiring enough drivers to cover all the shifts, one side of the busses is now a full sized billboard help wanted ad

[@mnoble247]

"One, no one can live on those small wages," apparently you can in someone else's back yard.

[@alexcarter8807]

Most of the "street" homeless have mental problems and what's needed is to have asylums again. As for tiny houses, allowing "mother-in-law units" is what we've done here in California and it's been quietly opening up housing for people who can't afford to rent a whole house or even a "luxury" apartment. But most of the obviously homeless, you don't want them anywhere near your house.

[@PlumbNutz]

We will need to change the laws to allow crazy people to be locked up. Right now you can basically only hold them for 72 hours. Of course the ACLU will fight this tooth and nail.

[@eldebtor6973]

it's the drugs

[@markae0]

You can not put people in jail (asylum) without them performing a crime first. "Mental problems" is a chicken and egg problem of which came first? If I put you , or anyone on the street, we would have mental problems in a few days of little sleep , no shower/bathroom, no healthy food.

[@kellilandry2825]

@@eldebtor6973 if only it were that simple! I think most average Americans are one major medical problem away from homelessness. Homelessness has always come from a myriad of reasons.

[@charlesmurphy1510]

@@markae0 bullshit!

[@alexontheedge]

So they were planning on spending $250 million (or so) and they built less than $1 million worth of tiny homes on property they didn't have to but. And they're now insisting the property owners buy the tiny homes at market value (presumably this would be similar to the cost of a small manufactured home in a park where the homeowner doesn't own the land the house sits on). WHERE'S THE OTHER $240,000,000?!

[@shannonrhoads7099]

The politician's pockets, where else? It IS Portland after all...

[@Jim-Tuner]

It was never a serious project at any level. A small set of people made a bunch of money off this idea and then moved on to the next idea. Its not about helping the homeless. Its about these people helping themselves to cash.

[@IMCcanTWEESTED]

Some 7-figure salaried sh!tweasel gave him/her-self a big fat bonus. It's real hard stressful work worrying about the poor and doing JACK 💩!

[@Robbedem]

The 250 million is what the city spends on homeless people. (large part of that is probably police) This project was only 500K. And most of that went to building the houses. No money was put aside to actually help and learn these people how to care for their home, how to budget money etc. So, not really surprising it didn't work.

[@IMCcanTWEESTED]

@@Robbedem We all know what would help them. Tough love. Placing them under arrest and taking them to jail, then to court for violation of vagrancy laws. A 60 day lock-up and 8 hours a day of picking up trash along the Interstate would hopefull provide the incentive for alcoholics and drug addicts to clean that 💩 up and become a productive member of society. Instead we enable their criminal behavior by buying them $300 a night hotel rooms. The crazies need to be held in mental facilities to be treated and to protect the forgotten taxpayer without whom none of these political 💩weasels would have a paycheck.

[@peterescalante1207]

Much of the problem lies with the attitude of the homeless themselves - no matter what is done for them or where they are placed, unless they want to make the best of the opportunity and change their life's circumstances, these programs are going to fail. I should know - I've been homeless myself.

[@BaDAiR647]

It's the age of no accountability. It's infectious.

[@onichan9710]

There are basically three types of homeless. 1. The unlucky. This program would help them. 2. The mentally ill. Giving them a home does not fix anything. They will often trash their homes or simply run off to the streets. They need care and oversight. 3. The lazy. These are the people who just want to party. The tiny home will be a base of operation for using drugs and the problems will spill out to the neighborhood. Group 3 could starve, for all I care. Group 2 are the most expensive and probably the largest most tragic group. Group 1 just needs a temporary helping hand and they will do the rest.

[@ClarityDetermination]

Interesting take on it.

[@fortusvictus8297]

Unlucky is a very very narrow group most 'normal' people wouldn't consider homeless in the truest sense. I know personally what it is like to be in a bad spot and not really have any plans for what to do when put out of Section 8 housing and wind up living in a vehicle or on the couches of people for some time. But ultimately the question was, what was I willing to do about it? Some people decide they would rather keep living like that than get a job and find a place they could actually afford to live. Some WANT to be in the big city with the big perks and are not willing to go somewhere they can actually be successful. Fortunately, I made the right choice in the end and those are just memories, as is the idea that I ever wanted to live smack dead in the middle of a city.

[@andrewn6384]

There's a 4th category you missed. People living on minimum wage paying over 50% of their income for rent. They are usually one unexpected doctor bill or car repair away from being out on the street. They are more economically disadvantaged/ suppressed than unlucky.

[@onichan9710]

@@andrewn6384 I agree. I failed to take that into account, though they could potentially be categorized in "unlucky". But, there are too many people working low paying jobs in areas with excessively high housing costs. Even without bad luck, they can't afford a place to live.

[@eviemaddox3038]

@@andrewn6384 You are mis-categorizing this group. The problem is not that they are "living on minimum wage," it's that they think that's all they can do. No grown adult in this country should be working a minimum wage job. Even here in KS where the cost of living is relatively low, the only employer that's paying minimum wage is probably Chickfila. I'm sure there are others, but I've not heard of them. Most of these people don't know their worth, or they're just refusing to take out their piercings and cover their tattoos and present themselves as professionals.

[@smokestonemedia]

Humans need a purpose, not just a handout.

[@robertwoodpa6463]

Well put. I wish the people trying to solve homelessness understood that basic concept.

[@canileaveitblank1476]

What does having a “purpose” mean? I’m 61, and I have no purpose, that I’m aware of…. That is such an odd, and empty statement. Much like “follow your passion” is an empty, verb free, hollow statement. Maybe it’s just me! 😂🤷🏽‍♀️

[@BZB33]

It's not really a handout when there's a five year cap. More like a little breathing room to people struggling to make ends meet. But with so little oversight and accountability it just seems like an industry made by opportunistic bureaucrats. Sickening.

[@kwazooplayingguardsman5615]

@@robertwoodpa6463 the fascists were not wrong when they said "work makes you free", are we that scared of ourselves that we can't trust ourselves from not turning it into concentration camps? C'mon guys! oratories that housed street urchin would teach the children music and carpentry and what would have been people that would grow up into criminals became good lawful and productive people.

[@yunglynda1326]

humans need a home, not entitled boomers opinions

[@joepauly2311]

Just call this program what it is. Job security for government and charitable organization employees with minimal benefits for the people who need help.

[@kevinvonderscher3971]

The is a classic grift ! Live in a blue city & state & you get what you get .

[@patula3499]

There is already a way to solve homelessness. It's called going to work.

[@jasonrodgers9063]

WHAAAA?!! Now that's just CRAZY TALK! !!!

[@patula3499]

@@jasonrodgers9063 I know, right? 😵‍💫

[@Angel-nu7fm]

I love the "they should provide low cost housing" BS. Why don't YOU get off generational welfare?

[@gardenjoy5223]

That's not going to help much in many overpriced cities. When a small studio apartment cost 2,300 and your monthly income is 3,000 without benefits. There's really just one calamity necessary to make someone lose even that. Like breaking your arm and get a medical bill of 20,000 or more. There are MANY homeless people with full time jobs, still sleeping in their cars, because they simply cannot afford the rent.

[@nosondre]

If I was homeless, that would be heaven. I’d be so grateful. If you have a place to shower that is huge. A lot can change for the better in five years if you’re out from under that stigma of being on the street. Just smelling better is a huge boost to one’s own sense of self worth and no one wants to hire or sit in class next to someone that smells like pee.

[@growlith6969]

The defining characteristic of a homeless person is surprisingly not that they don't have a home. It's that they lack the fortitude for one reason or another to function in society. I would put the number of homeless that you CAN actually help in this way at maybe a single digit percentage even if the program worked flawlessly. This report quickly glossed over and moved on from the "why" that the people moved out. I know why they did. They moved in and acted like homeless people.

[@pegc9889]

Our nation has failed the homeless population. Tiny home communities, where there are exclusively homeless people, tend to work well. This is because there are staff on hand; the homeless generally don't get enough emotional support from friends and family. Living on the streets puts people into survival mode which makes it difficult to get off drugs/alcohol. Eden for the Homeless, in Missouri, is working very well; they have tiny homes for the chronically disabled and they also offer overnight pod rentals ($15 or voucher) complete with heat, locking doors, shower facilities..... This was begun by 2 caring individuals/church.

[@shaystern2453]

wonder who paid for the water/sewer/elec hookup

[@nosondre]

@@growlith6969 point taken but helping single digits is better than nothing. Also, I can understand in our current economic environment, why so many are unable to afford rent. It’s stupid expensive and anyone that doesn’t realize that would have to be living under a rock. It takes fortitude to rob a bank. Getting a job that pays enough to pay rent or just having money is based on a lot of variables. If you don’t have a job, any amount is too much. Drugs always cost less than rent and they may not put a roof over your head but you won’t care.

[@SillyPutty3700]

I am guessing that the biggest difference between you and the homeless is mental stability.

[@popawheelie488]

Homeless, mentally ill, drug addicted, unwilling to work, people living in your backyard. What could go WRONG???

[@constitutionalstacker5701]

My thoughts exactly.

[@transtubular]

Imagine that AND you can't own a scary rifle to defend yourself with.

[@constitutionalstacker5701]

@@transtubular They can try. I'm old.

[@karlabritfeld7104]

Everything. It's Portland

[@philgar7786]

Good thing you people are not uneducated. LOL! Don't worry, Trump will still love you from his prison cell.

[@KathyPrendergast-cu5ci]

Why would homeowners want chronically dysfunctional addicted people living in their backyards? All it would do is make their lives (and those of their neighbours) miserable and drastically decrease the value of their properties.

[@macharrington7733]

The drug of virtue signaling is very powerful....

[@melanienolley]

Not every homeless person is drug addicted and not everyone is afraid like you are?

[@Betsy.Ross76]

I'm not willing to rely on the government to choose who gets to stay. If I was going to give up my property I'm choosing the person myself.

[@kittysplode]

@@melanienolley only 99%. literally, look it up. you have to fuck up bad to burn every bridge that many times and end up on the street.

[@dennismitchell5276]

Christians could tell you.

[@mewhitt123]

They only offered this in order to embezzle the money off to the contractors. 130k for a tiny home is absurd.

[@knotsure913]

shocker: lots of municipalities (even my very small town in maine) have already banned living in a tiny home. because god forbid someone lives cheapish without 6 figures of debt. it makes people jealous and then they make it illegal.

[@annwithaplan9766]

Why didn't the city just place those homes on their OWN properties to house the homeless?

[@razony]

If YOU want something done right. DON'T involve the government. It's that simple. They will miss manage the whole process of making it better. Screening out the people that will abuse this project is paramount. No drugs! That means drug testing, criminal background checks. On sight management. No waiting for government approval. Get them in and working and then out for the next person...Then, private security that has oversight. That's just the start of it all...

[@karlabritfeld7104]

Private companies will do even worse and charge more money.

[@razony]

@@karlabritfeld7104 True. We have to make the best choices we can with the people and information we have. Why I don't trust the word of anyone I don't know. Background checks, internet, everything you can use and make your decision. Giving up isn't a choice.

[@aprotosis]

@@karlabritfeld7104 Exactly. The government contracts all of this stuff out to 3rd party companies that gets churned up in the capitalism machine. We should make sure we don't take a failure to launch as evidence that the solution isn't a good one.

[@tneighbors]

Adding a profit motive to the equation might not be the answer. In fact, private companies have always been welcomed to take this problem on. They can even get help from the government to do that. The government is just doing what the private citizens aren't willing to do.

[@razony]

@tneighbors Yes. Corruption is rampid in the private sector. Wolves in wait to take advantage of government grants. Keep it small and with people you know. Half the $ up front and the rest at finish with some kind of accountability.

[@MrLuffy9131]

This is why it doesn't matter how much you tax the rich, it really depends on who is spending it...

[@karlabritfeld7104]

It's the middle class that are being taxed. The rich don't pay taxes.

[@richknudsen5781]

$133k for a tiny house? Well, with costs, permits and the grift involved to line many pockets I guess that's a fair price. For Chicago!

[@karlabritfeld7104]

Why not just get a shed from Lowes for $99?

[@richknudsen5781]

@@karlabritfeld7104 That wouldn't supply enough Grift money to pay of the people running the Scam, Er, I mean the Program.

[@durinok]

@@karlabritfeld7104 Let’s see, a shed in Chicago overnight at 25 degrees sounds really cozy. How about 100 degrees during the summer? People might also want a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom, along with windows and walls. But I guess that would be too much to spend on homeless people, right?

[@markae0]

@@durinok That is too low but How Much do Manufactured Homes Cost? ; Septic (Incl. Design & Approval), $15,000.00 ; Appliances, $6,500.00 Much less than 80K

[@Heart2HeartBooks]

$461 a square foot! Holy mother of Jesus!

[@ArtypNk]

That's about right. You get 250 million dollars, you hire yourself to do it, you spend 4 million on the project. Where is the rest of the money? "I'm sorry, I can't provide you with the details, the program has been transferred to another department"

[@oldmanfromscenetwentyfour8164]

IF Zoning allowed for Tiny Homes/Garage Apts (affordable) all along there'd be no Homeless problems.

[@charlesbarry7479]

The homeless industry is costing taxpayers in the US hundreds of billions of dollars.

[@GoingNutsinTX]

So is the multitrillion dollar illegal drug industry! It is well protected in high places.

[@fidgetssailing4725]

@@royr1016 Well that's the idea - You will own nothing and be happy

[@bonniehall578]

They are paying too much for them. $30,000 should be enough to build a tiny house.

[@MB-xe8bb]

They should be pre-fab in a factory, to make the price as cheap as possible.

[@walte153]

@@MB-xe8bb Exactly right. Plus, there's the "economy of scale" for building a lot of the same house. Anything over $30,000 for a decent "tiny house" is a scam. Probably every city in the U.S. has vacant city-owned property which could be used for "tiny house" villages. It could be done... but they would have to actually skip the graft and do the job.

[@oldtanker4860]

So they spent $500k to build 4 houses at roughly $35k each on property the city does not own. Where did the rest of the money go? Seems to me if the city built a house on private property the real homeowner should be able to tell the city to remove the house or start paying rent for keeping it on private property.

[@kevinvonderscher3971]

The city is in on the scam ! Imagine the kickbacks that are being thrown around .

[@Robert08010]

There has to be a contract somewhere with a signature on it. Otherwise, the property owners can counter sue.

[@Robbedem]

On 2:00 it is said they were 80K up to 130K.

[@brianjones7660]

its an old one, but it applies,..... Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said someone may steal from it at night, so they created a night watchman position (GS-4) and hired a person for the job. Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning position and hired two people: one person to write the instructions (GS-12) and one person to do time studies (GS-11). Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Q.C. position and hired two people, one GS-9 to do the studies and one GS-11 to write the reports. Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions, a timekeeper (GS-09) and a payroll officer (GS-11) and hired two people. Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative position and hired three people: an Admin. Officer (GM-13), an Assistant Admin. Officer (GS-13) and a Legal Secretary (GS-08). Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost," so they laid off the night watchman.

[@Robbedem]

@@brianjones7660 This doesn't just apply to the government though.

[@JesusLives889]

4 tiny homes on a Quarter BILLION dollar budget??? No corruption here, nothing to see

[@g.n.4046]

$88,000 - $133,000 for a "shed" ?!?! How is no one questioning the price that these construction companies are charging to build a shed?....and that the government is paying those prices....for a shed !!!! These news reporters are supposed to be asking "the tough questions" ...how can they not see the issue with those prices ?

[@MB-xe8bb]

Probably a decent amount of money in plumbing and electrical.

[@MrStrikecentral]

That's not a 'shed' as you put it. It's a full micro-apartment. Insulation, wiring, plumbing, appliances, furniture. Virtually none of that is needed for a 'shed.'

[@marklibby4629]

Money laundering. I'm sure the grease was laid on thick.

[@geraldbennett7035]

Its called the government homeless industrial complex for a reason. Its classic progressivism. You may know progressivism by its other name - crony capitalism. surprise!

[@VeryOldMerc]

@@geraldbennett7035 Programs run by Democrats to milk their constituents. Shocker.

[@kchiker]

The homeowners should have had legal documents written on what happens and who owns the tiny house after 5 years.

[@pinkiepower1968]

This might explain why only 4 homes were chosen out of thousands. Everyone else was smart enough to ask for some kind of guarantee in writing.

[@AliciaGuitar]

Yes, when i got government help on my mortgage i had to sign closing documents just like when i bought the house. After 7 years i received the copy of docs stating i fulfilled the term and my house can no longer get a lien over it. But when i got pandemic assistance there was no such thing. It made me nervous and sure enough... they bait and switched me claiming i qualufied for $40,000 and only gave me half. At least i got half! 😒

[@lindanizamoff7981]

once the house program gets sold to a nonprofit the state and city are out of the picture.

[@charlesritter6640]

Why did this woman have to "buy it" when she was told it would be Free.?

[@Heart2HeartBooks]

Because she is a LIBERALIDIOT!

[@leeb.7188]

Because the government didn’t keep its promise. No surprise.

[@cliffontheroad]

why was it still vacant? At least it wasn't trashed by tenents.

[@jacqudace]

Society's problems will never be solved if that can't even be discussed in plain English. Why was this woman living in a truck? If she got a nice new house, why didn't that solve her housing problem? What were the behaviors that caused her to leave? Why did she require oversight? Did the homeowners know what they were getting into? In other words, this isn't really a housing issue at all. It's about drigs and mental health and crime.

[@JusticeAlways]

$80K to $133K for a tiny house? That's way overpriced.

[@chinookvalley]

We had a program to build dog houses by people who in lieu of jail, were in a work release program. It worked fantastically well. Most of the guys were builders and had their own tools! Perfection! ZERO cost and it helped the guys do something useful and the dog houses went to shelter pets in need. Why not use the same plan for people?

[@KathyPrendergast-cu5ci]

Building shelters is never going to be the problem; finding a place for people to live in those shelters, is. With the paltry amount of money I have, I could order prefab tiny house online, or a cute miniature yurt, or a high-quality wall tent that would be perfectly serviceable in the climate I live in, but what good would that do if I have no place to put it?

[@debbieolin8153]

Look at Community First! started by Mobile Loaves and Fishes in Austin, TX. All of it has been built through donations and no public funding as once you have federal or state funding you get lots of opinions/asinine rules. There are 350 housed previously homeless individuals and plans to house nearly 2000 in the next ten years. It is a really neat village with all the things needed by people living there. It is a very happy place too....check it out!!!

[@ronpage101]

Because they don't want to work or be accountable for anything or anyone. Bleeding ❤ libta6ds don't get it. Plus, the government doesn't care about you or them. Wake up please! Help stop this insanity.

[@canileaveitblank1476]

Were the dogs homeless drug addicts, or dealing with mental health issues?

[@Mikehunthertz51]

And put the dog 🏠 in kotex's back yard and every demonrats yards that's how you see how fast things either change or they will need some cheese with their whine.😂😂😂

[@kattycat3502]

The scariest words you will ever hear. I'm from the Government and I'm here to help!!

[@constitutionalstacker5701]

If you want something screwed up, give it to government to "manage".

[@briankearn6991]

Activists don’t help much either, they just raise awareness. Business people just want to be paid. Somewhere there is a middle ground. They can be found, usually a small group that’s been around for awhile with proven methods and wise leadership that has true compassion. They aren’t looking for glory and don’t get in the news much since they’re to busy working.

[@spencers4121]

Literally a $10-15k at most shed, maybe another $10-15K in finishing inside and fixtures. Even if you inflate those numbers, don't come anywhere near the $80-130K build cost. These builders know it's a government contract, and probably had a tiny "approved" list that could submit.

[@Al828282]

A 20-unit studio efficiency costs the same amount as two tiny homes. The tiny homes are extremely expensive per square foot and have some of the worst energy efficiency of any structure suitable for full-time occupation.

[@Jenda-ld8dj]

Never let the government into your life.

[@AegisAuras]

“Non-profit” must refer to the effect the program has on the community.

[@dawolvx3098]

Having a structure like that in your yard increases your Property Tax, Utilities, Insurance Premiums, etc

[@VerumAdPotentia]

Stunned by the lack of accountability. Stunned I say!

[@winkieblink7625]

Can’t gauge success/failure ON FOUR. Why did she HAVE to buy the house if the gov. dropped the ball on getting it Re filled? Chg terms aren’t allowed after contract is made. I’d sue to own house outright.

[@macazootie]

Why tf did she have to purchase the house that they put on her land, when she followed through on her end of the agreement and the county dropped the ball?! She should have sued the county instead. This is entirely effed up and unsurprising at the same time.

[@TrilithiumBanditKelsey]

This is the kind of crap you see in these universities here, where a policy-center is 'organized', and then you have a bunch of 5-6 figure loafers... directors, coordinators, administrative assistants... under the umbrella of a 'mission-statement' provide 'guidance'. The only thing that's actually executed is a slew of e-mails and 'workshop' policy-booklets. And, in the meantime tuition skyrockets. As far as 'market-value' purchase for the tiny-home? Well, if they fell for the sales-pitch, then I guess it was supposed they'd fall for just about anything. If you wrap any package here with a 'We care/We support' bow, folks will gobble it up.

[@evegreenification]

❤

[@cherfromtn8225]

This is one reason the cost of a college education has skyrocketed--plus adding in more and more "required" courses. I was faculty in a community college, so yes, I have seen all kinds of programs implemented to encourage college success in diverse populations, etc. Plenty of administrators and directors who just "enlighten" people about the problems but who don't come up with real solutions. To their credit, the solutions to these problems are complex and would require tons more money than what is available. For example, providing free transportation to classes and on-campus childcare would do more good than most "feel good" programs. IMO.

[@kevinvonderscher3971]

Yup . Professional grifters pure & simple .

[@WinstonSmithGPT]

@@cherfromtn8225 Another solution to the childcare need is teaching students to keep their legs together rather than expecting others to pitch in to fund their fuck.

[@warrenpeece1726]

Looks like Multnomah county is emulating SF, which is now spending $1.1 billion annually on the homeless. It allows for extravagant spending on projects like this - big cost, small results, and then it quietly goes away. And as the homeless crisis worsens the spending will continue to balloon with more and more projects like this.

[@JC-gs4fx]

It makes me sick n angry to hear that these officials wasted that much tax money on the homeless issue. 🤢😡

[@elegziabherbinjoann643]

the failure started when it costed $80k - $135k to build a shed.

[@douggale5962]

I wonder how embarrassing it feels to be a politician. I have a hard time imagining living a life with no success whatsoever.

[@maximusmiles8435]

They wanted to do 300 which would have cost $32M at an average cost of $106500. They built 4, where did the rest of the $250B go? Interesting subject, but I think the money is a story in of itself.

[@kevinvonderscher3971]

Exactly. It's the old flim flam , grift , ponce scheme. If you question anyone at city hall you're immediately labled anti homeless & right wing Trumper nut job ! Why is it a crime to ask for accountability ?

[@dennisg1045]

Buy at fair market price? Just tear the darn thing down, get it off my property.

[@karlabritfeld7104]

Tow it away

[@jamesstrawn6087]

The leadership is evidently insane. They do not seem to have given a single thought to observed human nature. People need to be treated fairly, but in such a way that they must work daily in order to live independently. The addicted need to be institutionalized. If society uncritically supports people who will not work, as a rule, it will have more and more of them until it cannot do this anymore.

[@Flumphinator]

This guy gets it.

[@toddthreess9624]

Mass institutionalization is not encouraged by the mental health community, whether you're talking about mental health or addiction issues. Most were closed in the 1950's and 60's, a time that saw one expose after another about the inhumane treatment of patients in these facilities. It also had the effect of taking the financial burden off the federal gov. The final end to them was when Reagan repealed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, effectively defunding them. The stated idea was to shift the burden for any such facilities to the states - community focused mental health care. There are far fewer today, so the overall cost in taxes is lower, but now we have them sleeping on the streets instead. Hard to figure out which is worse. Or rather, two horrible options: A past of abuse and inhumanity. A present of indifference and suffering.

[@thothheartmaat2833]

so it went from a way to help homeless people to a way to scam homeowners into paying to build tiny homes in their backyard? also why did they cost 130,000?

[@d0naldthump]

Anything the government has control of they charge 10× what it's worth for there own pockets

[@rowynnecrowley1689]

Here's a thought. Instead of building giant tracts of houses that no one can afford to live in, why not take that same land, and split it up into tiny homes, and let people live there. Or chop up the abandoned malls and turn them into tiny apartments and let people live there. Why is that complicated?

[@Will-zd2lj]

Where did the rest of the money that was allocated to this program go?

[@cliffontheroad]

Fair question Will. Please look into it. xfered to another dept/agency and misplaced IMO

[@jimsleestak8012]

In Los Angeles, we have these tiny homes all stacked together for efficiency. We call them “apartment buildings.”

[@gardenjoy5223]

Which is of course a good use of land :) I too consider building smaller and affordable, but sturdy apartment buildings, as a good way of getting people housed. Many people live alone or just with one other person. The apartment projects ought to keep that in mind. Isolate them well, so they are energy efficient.

[@auntiem873]

They don’t want to provide the information because if they did people might look even further into it all and find out the prices they charged for the homes were 50x over what it really cost them to make and furnish. Meaning they would be caught dipping into the funds to furnish their lifestyle. But if the project dies, no one will care and they will move in to something else. Leaving the powers that were in charge all that money.

[@qzwxecrv0192837465]

Did nobody in the city government ever ask the question "does the city have 1 or 2 acres that could accommodate 5-10 tiny homes?" would have been the best thing to do vacant city lot(s) that defaulted turned into homeless housing. smh

[@rustymason3860]

Homelessness is not a problem of no homes.

[@stevefritz5182]

I love a video I saw recently about a tiny home owner. She spent over $100k and found her only option was to put it in a trailer park. What I loved was her comment that she wished she knew more about trailers because there are some really nice trailers. Duh!! That has been the affordable housing solution for decades. Unfortunately, elites don't like them and have been pushing them out of their communities (I live near Boulder, Colorado). Land prices push park owners to sell. Maybe just support the placement of trailer parks. Tiny homes are elitist; like a spoiled teenager that wants a new car.

[@briankearn6991]

The same situation with the homes made from shipping containers. It seems to be virtue signalling, an artisanal design. Mobile homes have a stigma attached to them., but they can be well designed and built and reasonably affordable and easy to move.

[@stellijer]

I'd love to know what the "challenging circumstances" were. And why did the family move out? Did they find they had opportunities to move onward and upward? Or did they essentially make a move down in quality? I'm guessing the latter - after all, fixing homelessness is far more complex than just giving them a place to live. There are often deeper issues about WHY they were homeless in the first place. Just handing them a house won't necessarily fix the problem. Moreover, the situation of "...buy at market price" can be a big screw-over to the homeowner! After sacrificing so much of their property, privacy and potential security, if they don't get to keep the home, then what? Do they have to pay to move it off? Or will the city do that? Imagine being stuck with something you don't own on your property and you have to PAY to remove it? And will the city re-landscape the place it sat? What if the family doesn't stay in the house the full 5 years, as in that case? They need to make it clear, and offer true incentives, in the case things go south. At least "if things fall apart, at least you get the house, we won't come after you to pay for it"

[@joshuavanname3469]

challenging circumstances = meth

[@stellijer]

@@joshuavanname3469 Or... meth = challenging circumstances.

[@litostabobucky4566]

@@joshuavanname3469 That was my first thought also Mediocre minds think alike!

[@thothheartmaat2833]

if they moved up and on wouldnt that mean the program was successful? they got people off the street.. why is it empty though? wheres the next person to live in it?

[@stellijer]

@@thothheartmaat2833 "IF" they moved "up" - then, yes, the program was successful. But if not - that's another matter. I would venture a guess there were more fundamental problems with attitude, behavior and likely addiction, which resulted in them moving out. I'd like to know the details.

[@benjaminrichard7741]

Some good reporting here. Thank you Kyle!❤

[@jum5238]

Almost makes you want to start a non-profit so you can also have a 6-7 figure annual salary and have no accountability, right?

[@smfarrie2943]

I will never forget a city in Arizona bulldozed a tiny home community for the homeless a month after it was built. Sick.

[@gardenjoy5223]

Sick indeed!

[@YTareWOKEBastards]

NO WAY that the homeowner should pay the market price since it's taking up their land, I'd be saying REMOVE it or I'll be charging space rental on it for being on my land !!!!

[@lynnealuebben1967]

This is the issue that happened with a homeless tent city near the bus area, in our area, no follow through, no support mechanisms. The heart of a good program, is the heart of the people that initiated it. Visions are hard to carry through without the people sharing a vision and being all on board as it moves forward. A home is great, but service support must continue for the people on both sides.

[@whiteorchid5412]

I live in Los Angeles and have done volunteer work dealing with the homeless. In a large majority of the cases the reason people are homeless isn't a lack of housing but rather mental illness or hard core drug addiction which often leads to mental illness. So unless those issues are resolved tiny homes just enable a self destructive lifestyle that adds to community blight, property crimes and vandalism. As far as the affordability of housing goes if someone can't afford to live someplace they can find affordable housing elsewhere. My mother commuted to work 60 miles each way to L.A. because we couldn't afford to live there. You know why I don't live in Beverly Hills? Because I can't afford to. Does that give me a right to pitch a tent in a park there, I don't think so.

[@tnijoo5109]

Why didn’t they find another family or person to live in the home???

[@Countess88]

What a stupid deal. Homeless people living in your backyard would just result in them trashing your property with garbage, drug using, noise, & being a general nuisance!

[@gardenjoy5223]

How do you know? Have you ever had homeless people living with you? Well, I have. Even in our own house. One got money from the government and he rented a room with us. We chose him, figuring he would not easily find any place else. He was a delightful guy and Very Helpful. We seriously missed him, when he moved out. A few others stayed for a little while for free, just to get their strength back. Caused no problems whatsoever, but were very thankful.

[@glep3570]

It always comes down to the people you get to run these programs. One person can make all the difference. Sadly, you frequently hire the most vocal person instead of the best equipped.

[@fortusvictus8297]

It's all a confidence game. Voters don't care enough to follow a story for years, and will hold no one accountable...suckers being taken advantage of and they will keep voting for the same people and wondering why things don't get better.

[@fjb4932]

Criminals, and let's call a spade a spade, are the most vocal / agressive at landing these cushiony ( lucrative $ $ $ ) jobs.

[@really2345]

Put the homeless in workcamps modelled after the Depression era workcamps.

[@MiddleAgedMillennial]

80-130k?? Isn’t Home Depot or Lowe’s selling small homes like that for years? And the current prices I thought were like 50-60k? Also what happens after 5 years? Do they get squatter rights now? Pay rent? Can the owner take back the backyard after 5 years? This just doesn’t seem like a permanent solution for many.

[@markae0]

trailer home on wheels/ on blocks is less than 80K

[@nicelydone9776]

They get what they signed up for plus altruistic points are not free.

[@joywebster2678]

The Home Depot ADU for 80, 000 is simply the steel structure frame and external walls. No plumbing, no electricity, no internal light fixtures,. Ayoutuber yesterday priced it out. To make it liveable it's around 120, 000. Then add furniture, and hook ups to utilities.

[@MiddleAgedMillennial]

@@nicelydone9776 I think I’m confused on what they signed up for, when you say they are you talking about the owner? What did the owner sign up to do after the 5 years?

[@MiddleAgedMillennial]

@@joywebster2678 you can literally Google Home Depot small house and see them currently from 12k-43k.. so you’re telling me setting it up, adding plumbing and electricity runs 60- 80k? I think any way you cut it the Gov got a shitty deal with who ever contracted these.

[@queensweet5900]

To put that together? $133 000 ! Really?!

[@brianjones7660]

its an old one but very accurate... Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said someone may steal from it at night, so they created a night watchman position (GS-4) and hired a person for the job. Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning position and hired two people: one person to write the instructions (GS-12) and one person to do time studies (GS-11). Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Q.C. position and hired two people, one GS-9 to do the studies and one GS-11 to write the reports. Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions, a timekeeper (GS-09) and a payroll officer (GS-11) and hired two people. Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative position and hired three people: an Admin. Officer (GM-13), an Assistant Admin. Officer (GS-13) and a Legal Secretary (GS-08). Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost," so they laid off the night watchman.

[@gardenjoy5223]

Funny! But I guess more true, than many governments would want to admit.

[@roryteal5940]

The Home owners will allow a family member a friend or their kid live in it.