
16,000 people in L.A. live in cars, vans and RVs. But safe parking is limited - ilamont
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-homeless-safe-parking-los-angeles-20190610-story.html
======
goobynight
> That leaves most people living in vehicles without a legal place to sleep.

In LA, that is.

For the estimated $20-30 per night the article states this might cost, we
could get these people into actual housing in the midwest.

Until they've tried that, I don't really care what problems people in LA have.
These people are addicted to LA/California.

We're eventually going to get over trying to let everyone live in the most
popular cities in California and we'll be better for it.

~~~
romwell
>Until they've tried that

Sure. But are _you_ going to pay for their relocation package, plus
unemployment benefits until they find a job at their destination?

No?

Oh, then perhaps let's stop suggesting that moving cross-country is easy or
cheap for people already living month-to-month at best.

And that's without taking into account that some of them:

1\. Have family in the area that they can't just give up;

2\. Have their social support network in the area that they can't just give
up;

3\. Might be a part of _someone else 's_ support network that they can't just
abandon;

4\. Grew up in the area and thus will be forcibly displaced by your
suggestion.

I know two people living off a van / RV in the Bay Area.

Both are Bay Area natives. One can afford to rent an apartment, but his work
as a bus driver makes the morning commute three hours long. He lives in an RV
close to work on weekdays.

Another was renting until recently, but doesn't make enough money as a
musician / audio technician. So he's effectively on a permanent tour.

Both are in their 40's and have children.

I guess you can say that they are "addicted" to their families, to their
hometown and community, and to their jobs.

Or you can say that they _live here_ , and stop giving infeasible suggestions
like "Move to Midwest".

~~~
masonic

      But are you going to pay for their relocation package, plus unemployment benefits...
    

Presumably, the local government entities _currently_ paying CA-level benefits
would happily pay the lower Midwest rates in the interim.

~~~
romwell
Bad choice of wording on my side here - most of these people won't get
benefits from either State or Federal.

How about _would you be willing to provide for them while they are looking for
a job at a different state_.

And that's, of course, only _one_ of the reasons why it's difficult to move.
Got any answers for others I mentioned?

------
Quequau
I am in the midst of planning a major move and it looks like I am going to
wind up in either a tiny home or a single-wide mobile home so that I can
afford to build up the company I'm trying to get started.

I think this article misses a major problem that people in precarious
circumstances in their lives face when trying to secure housing that isn't
either traditional residential mortgage or rental in corporate owned apartment
complexes... and that is exploitation.

Until exploitation of the working classes is reduced there are going to
continue to be problems with housing.

~~~
BubRoss
You aren't working class of you are trying to get your own company started.

~~~
ehvatum
It's perfectly possible to do on a coding salary... in Missouri. I did it, and
in fact I still am doing it. I still have have my day job. My big expenses are
heavy industrial equipment leases ($7k/mo), electricity ($2k/mo in the
summer), and titanium ($1-10k/mo, depending on order volume). I mostly make
pistol grips. The CNC machines run all day while I code, and I live in a
camper inside an aircraft hangar at my factory. It's beautiful. I'm not an
expert on LA, but I really don't think I could have made my dream a reality in
that particular place.

I _think_ I'm working class... I certainly work a lot and I go to work during
the day :-)

~~~
Quequau
This is amazingly close to my current game plan... though I don't do anything
related to weaponry.

