(no title)
jakelarkin | 7 years ago
1) the heroin/fentanyl epidemic
2) political choices or fiscal constraints as local spending on public healthcare/shelters/mental-wards/criminal-justice has not kept up with spiraling costs increases and population growth
3) the minimum rents in coastal cities exceeding the max SSID benefit ( ~$750/month) in the early 2010s
The sub causes of (3) are myriad but include; a decade of easy credit inflating property values, revival of American cities, local zoning/permitting strangling construction, and I guess the economic success of West coast technology companies (although this tax base keeps the government sector afloat particularly in California, so think the progressives protest a bit too much)
The east coast does not have as many problems with (2) because there is an effective "right to shelter" with subfreezing winter temps. Having enough shelter capacity helps prevent the short-term homeless from becoming "chronically homeless".
vkou|7 years ago
Looking at the Seattle skyline from my apartment, it's construction cranes as far as the eye can see.
A lot of construction is happening. It's not enough, though, because there's an absolute torrent of people into the area.