I don't know the answer to this question, but I think it's an important one, and you guys who replied are being a bit mean.What's the news... what's going on in the positive human services work in the Seattle area?
The real problem I have with current incentive zoning is it taxes only one specific type of new development: high density high rise. That's actually the kind of development that makes best use of limited land, and allows the city to better concentrate services, such as power, sewer, transportation and police/fire.Meanwhile, the Council has had several advisors tell them that their version of incentive zoning (allowing taller buildings if you include affordable housing) isn't as good as a pure tax for height that can be used to build housing, but is better than straight forcing new construction to provide affordable housing. But overall it's mostly useless.
The real answer, if they would listen, is to just upzone and let the market provide more housing.
Absolutely, two types of solutions are required. But we can't handwave the transient problem with the mental illness card. The majority of the residents of Nicklesville, for instance, are employed.The truth is, lower housing costs might help some of the working poor move from living in cars or motorhomes to houses, but it's not going to make the difference for the truly mentally ill, the runaways, and the vagabonds by choice-types. When ever I've read sympathetic articles reporting on the homeless, most of them moved here from other parts of the country, and often times from places with lower housing costs.
However, because they folks often do migrate from county to county or state to state, the federal and state governments should be playing a greater role in addressing this problem, especially where it relates to mental illness.
That's an interesting point. I hadn't read that before. At the risk of sounding callous, I'm a little surprised someone who is working even minimum wage jobs cannot swing the rent for an Apodment or subsidized housing, especially when adding in food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and other government and non-profit assistance.Absolutely, two types of solutions are required. But we can't handwave the transient problem with the mental illness card. The majority of the residents of Nicklesville, for instance, are employed.
Apparently, 80% of those who experience homelessness do so for less than three weeks. Another large segment is under two years. So there are differences between those and the chronically homeless (and mentally ill) that we see downtown. We probably don't see the majority of these working homeless because they're at work (or school) and in places like Nicklesville or sleeping in a car at Walmart at night.That's an interesting point. I hadn't read that before. At the risk of sounding callous, I'm a little surprised someone who is working even minimum wage jobs cannot swing the rent for an Apodment or subsidized housing, especially when adding in food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and other government and non-profit assistance.