Homeless people with full time jobs

[Underseer]

The above video focuses on homeless people with full time jobs where the phenomenon is much worse than other regions of the country due to the insane real estate prices of silicon valley, but the problem does exist in the other parts of the country and the phenomenon seems to be growing.

At a time when corporate profits are at historic highs and unemployment rates are low, there is no excuse for having any homeless people much less homeless people with full time jobs.

And yet, there is a large portion of the country that is upset that rich people aren't rich enough and that we need more tax breaks and deregulation so that the wealthiest in society can become even more wealthy, as life for blue collar people get worse and worse. If I complain about any of this, I am accused of being an "elitist."

 

[Trausti]

The above video focuses on homeless people with full time jobs where the phenomenon is much worse than other regions of the country due to the insane real estate prices of silicon valley, but the problem does exist in the other parts of the country and the phenomenon seems to be growing.

At a time when corporate profits are at historic highs and unemployment rates are low, there is no excuse for having any homeless people much less homeless people with full time jobs.

And yet, there is a large portion of the country that is upset that rich people aren't rich enough and that we need more tax breaks and deregulation so that the wealthiest in society can become even more wealthy, as life for blue collar people get worse and worse. If I complain about any of this, I am accused of being an "elitist."

Wait, this is in loony liberal/Dem/high tax California? Nah, bullshit.

 

[J842P]

The above video focuses on homeless people with full time jobs where the phenomenon is much worse than other regions of the country due to the insane real estate prices of silicon valley, but the problem does exist in the other parts of the country and the phenomenon seems to be growing.

At a time when corporate profits are at historic highs and unemployment rates are low, there is no excuse for having any homeless people much less homeless people with full time jobs.

And yet, there is a large portion of the country that is upset that rich people aren't rich enough and that we need more tax breaks and deregulation so that the wealthiest in society can become even more wealthy, as life for blue collar people get worse and worse. If I complain about any of this, I am accused of being an "elitist."

Wait, this is in loony liberal/Dem/high tax California? Nah, bullshit.

What point are you making? One can also note that the looney-left, liberal, high tax Bay Area has created the strongest economy in the country.



Anyway.



The fundamental problem in the Bay Area is the outrageous housing costs. This, of course, is driven by the aforementioned exceptional economy, with many high-paying jobs in the tech sector. One doesn't have to have taken any economics courses to predict what will happen when the supply of housing stays pretty much fixed, and a huge influx of people with plenty of money to throw around start populating the area.


It doesn't help that it's a Peninsula, so it's harder to expand outwards. And its a major Earthquake zone, so you don't really want to build high-rises.


Of course, this problem could be solved. Proper regulation, such as requiring certain number of affordable-rent units to be built provided for people making under a certain amount of money, on a graded scale. It's not like the landlords can go anywhere else, and it's not like they aren't still going to become fantastically rich. Unless they are speculating and are overleveraged when a price bust happens (which I feel like is only a matter of time).

And yes, Google and Facebook and Amazon can afford to pay their service workers more. It's a good sign that they are unionizing.

 

[Derec]

They are not real homeless.

These people are making a choice. They don't have to live in San Francisco or Silicon Valley itself - rents are cheaper in the some of the outlying burbs. But that would mean longer commute - it's a compromise like we all have to do. Many people can't afford to live right where they work and thus have to commute 10, 20 or more miles to work each way. Gig economy or no gig economy.
Another option is to move out of the area entirely, perhaps even out of state.
But no, these people choose to live and work in places like Mountain View. So they have to make certain compromises.

P.S.: Isn't an RV just a motorized tiny house?
P.P.S: Some of the people featured aren't homeless even in the "not real homeless" sense. That security guard in the purple union t-shirt showed his apartment which, while relatively small, was hardly bad. And he's certainly not homeless.
P.P.P.S.: They threw some numbers together. They said the average blue collar gig economy earnings were 19k/a. But then they kept talking about people working 80 h/week, linking the two deceptively. But if you make $19k at 40 hours a week, which is full time, your hourly wage would be $9.13. Minimum wage in California is $11/h. So, the average gig economy blue collar worker in the Bay Area is not working full time (despite Under's OP title), let alone 80 hours a week.
80 hours a week even at the California minimum wage would yield you $45,760, which should be enough for decent housing, a car and other necessities. If they can't, I wonder what they spend their money on.

 

[Derec]

It doesn't help that it's a Peninsula, so it's harder to expand outwards.

Who says all these service workers have to live on the actual peninsula? There is a lot of space on the mainland.

 

[jonatha]

80 hours a week at California minimum wage would yield you $45,760, which should be enough for decent housing, a car and other necessities.

Sleep isn't a necessity?

 

[Derec]

80 hours a week at California minimum wage would yield you $45,760, which should be enough for decent housing, a car and other necessities.

Sleep isn't a necessity?

It is. There are 168 hours in a typical week though.
No, I get your point. 80 hours is a lot to work in a week. But I did not say they should work 80 hours a week. My point is that some of these people are claiming that they are already working 80 h/week (like the pixelated woman or the guy at the protest) and yet can't afford housing. I call BS.