[ad_1]
The Editorial Board operates independently of the UT Newsroom, but holds similar ethical standards. We base our editorials and endorsements on reports, interviews and rigorous debates, striving for accuracy, fairness and civility in our sections. Don’t you agree? let me know
Preliminary data from the San Diego County Coroner’s Office, which says more homeless people will die in the county in 2022 than the previous record set last year, shows a difficult problem getting worse. . His 574 deaths as of Dec. 21 are up 7% from his 536 reported in 2021, and he’s up 61% from his 357 in 2020. Said. Of the 290 cases evaluated, 128 were due to drug overdose, 41 were individuals hit by cars, and 20 were alcohol-related. 59 – about 1 in 5 he had – were due to natural causes, contrasting with her 9 out of 10 figure typically seen in the National Health Survey of the entire US population. .
This is just the latest harrowing snapshot of homelessness. Data compiled by the San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness found that, on average, for every 10 homeless people who found a home in the last year, 13 became homeless for the first time. In May, the task force estimated that there were 8,427 homeless people in the county (57% for the city of San Diego), a 10% increase from his 2020 estimate.
The surge is expected in January 2021, when a Democratic majority will take over the county oversight board, bringing more compassion to county governments long ruled by Republicans, boosting public health programs, and reducing homelessness. It occurred after vowing to declare a homelessness and fentanyl public health crisis. Today, city and county leaders must understand one thing. Rhetoric, goodwill and ever-increasing spending on various programs are not enough, promises are not progress.
This means elected leaders should reduce or give up on addressing complex issues that have so many dimensions, such as the availability and cost of housing, public health, addiction, mental illness and poverty. I’m not saying that. We should soberly assess the cause, improve the balance between affection and resilience, and realize that many homeless people do not want the assistance offered.
Ratings should be built on the simple observation that homelessness is far more prevalent where housing costs are higher. The Atlantic recently joined the Office of State Law Analysts to say that shelter costs are linked to its shortages and that extreme costs in California are the result of the decisions of elected leaders. pointed out.
This should be the starting point for any discussion on how to reduce homelessness. Instead, it is often neglected. Consider the reaction of some advocates to all the evidence that most homeless people do not want to live in shelters with enforced rules on behavior. .
If the California government could immediately purchase the 375-square-foot prefabricated tiny homes you see more and more around the world for $50,000, that would be a great idea. Instead, officials are sticking to the status quo, with a startling June announcement that California’s “affordable housing” projects have routinely cost upwards of $1 million per unit. led to a report.
Such pricing is so cynical that one might wonder if a homeless industrial complex has emerged in California.
That’s not fair to the many well-meaning people in and out of public life who have helped thousands of people live better lives. But if the problem gets worse, a basic question comes to mind. Your approach is broken. we have to do better. Let’s fix this by treating this like an emergency and improving the situation in 2023.
[ad_2]
Source link
