What does that look like?
How do “they send” people?
Step 1: Make your state an unliveable hell-hole
God blessed the Bible Belt. Mild temps, fruit growing everywhere …
where thousands are homeless and no one is helping.
Like say, Alabama? Louisiana? They can live outside and eat snakes and gators. It’s not like Maine or North Dakota.
Step 2: Harass homeless people. Arrest them, steal and destroy their property, make being outside a crime. Refuse to investigate when they are victims of a crime. Throw them out of hospitals before they are fully healed.
Ok, check! We have all that stuff covered.
Step 3: Celebrate how hostile the environment you've created is, while complaining about how liberal states don't know how to "handle" the homeless.
Sounds right. Except the celebration part. Recognition might be more appropriate.
Though direct busing is also an option. One which both affects California and is used by California.
Wait, wut?
So … is it a net zero effect?
I’m still not clear on who is sending people and why they can’t be sent.
Yeah, several people here are making the claim that red states are rounding up their homeless and busing (flying?) them to California (or elsewhere). That's news to me and I would like to see the receipts on that. Otherwise, I call BS on that claim. My thoughts are that they are coming here of their own volition via their own vehicle, bus, train or hitchike, etc. Maybe people are confusing homeless busing with those who were illegally crossing the border under Biden and were getting bused to Chicago, New York City, etc. by "Hot Wheels" et al.
How they get here seems unimportant to me. But I guess that's because homelessness seems to me like a problem that should actually be addressed, not just deferred. Of course people who are homeless want to come here voluntarily, I would too. But 700,000 Americans shouldn't
be homeless in the first place, and expecting a handful of socially responsible states to bear the expense and anxiety of solitarily addressing a nationwide problem (then shitting on us for being willing to do so) is completely unreasonable.
No offense but California is one of the highest cost of living states in the US, with housing costs being among the highest in the US. California is also a water hog. How much water does it take to keep an almond tree alive and producing? For all of the very wonderful things about California ( I assume: I’ve never been), California does contribute to its own issues with homelessness, as does every other state.
My state is relatively low cost, falling into the lowest third of US states for cost of living. We have a much smaller population and a much harsher climate—and a homeless issue. As do all states. Yes, people actually come to my state for the quality of life, which is indeed pretty good.
But we still have issues with affordability of housing. Like every other state, we have issues with substance abuse and mental health, both of which contribute to economic instability and housing instability. So do issues such as domestic abuse. This does not even begin to address the issue of economic stability and accessibility of jobs, living wages, health care a salability and accessibility, education, social net infrastructure, transportation.
These are issues that all states, cities ( regardless of size), rural and urban and suburban areas struggle with and must all learn to deal with.
We have discussed the
almond water issue before. Much of California's problems are of its own making. Besides water shortages, there is high energy and housing costs. The state has a lot of potential and good things about it, but has been poorly managed for decades.
I believe that every single state plus Washington DC have housing issues. My small town in the middle of bumfuck USA has housing issues. Currently, we are OK with water and should continue to be so except that I've just read that some stupid town upriver has OK'd an enormous data center that will use and pollute water from the river.
I was picking on California a bit because a) I love almonds b) I'm aware that I contribute in a very miniscule way to the water problem in California because I buy almonds and so I am aware of this particular issue in California.
I am not aware of a single state in the union that does not struggle with how to address addiction problems, housing problems and mental health problems, not to mention livable wages and employment issues. Also affordable/accessible healthcare and education and daycare and support for domestic abuse victims (a lot of these issues converge upon one another).
I used to be against a universal basic income but I've come to appreciate just how much that could go towards solving some basic problems for a lot of people, including people I know and some I am related to. We help where we can and struggle to figure out how much is enough and how much is too much with the goal being to never be in the position of imposing that sort of burden on others.
It's pretty easy to look at various individuals I know whose lives could be made much better with UBC that was adequate to provide food and shelter if society as a whole could do a better job re: sorting out health care, including mental health care, affordable housing, etc., addiction services to help overcome and avoid, education including college and trades and jobs training, etc. It seems more efficient than the piecemeal funding that we are able to do as individuals. For one thing, many thousands or millions more than the people I know could genuinely use the help.
We, as a society, just need to decide that it is worth it to invest in people (and the environment) rather than bright shiny golden adornments. I'm on board.