As California’s homelessness problem continues to worsen, politicians and nonprofits are asking local residents to open up spare rooms in their homes.
Richmond Mayor Tom Butt (D) recently announced a new program that will pay landlords to house homeless individuals. The program is funded entirely through private donations. “There are a lot of people out there who want to do something meaningful to try to alleviate the homelessness problem,” said Butt.
Recruiting landlords was easier during the height of the pandemic when there were more vacancies, he continued. Now, as restrictions are eased, landlords are hesitant to provide aid to someone who may have poor credit or a criminal record. What Butt is really asking people to do here is to put their health and safety – and that of their families – at risk to help address a problem the state has failed to solve.
Not surprisingly, most locals aren’t interested in the program.
“I don’t know how they are gonna fix the homeless problem, but I just think that asking the residents to step up is not a good idea,” says Nichole, a resident of the Bay Area. “I have a family…I just don’t think that it’s safe.”
“This is one of the richest cities in the world because of companies and everything and they cannot find a solution to deal with homeless people? That is unacceptable,” adds Caio, another local. “I have lived here for almost four years and the homeless situation is still the same. So, they are not doing anything.”
Many residents interviewed by Fox News said they simply don’t have enough room for another person. Others said the real problem is drug use, not housing.
“Would I open up a spare room for a homeless person? Probably not,” says Milo, a San Francisco resident. “Let’s face it – you can’t be parents to drug addicts…This is a federal emergency situation. This is a FEMA situation. It’s a government situation. It’s a government problem.”
There are roughly 35,000 homeless currently living in the Bay Area. There have been 1,300 overdose deaths reported in San Francisco alone since 2020.
Author’s Note:
This is a classic example of the phrase “your urgency is not my emergency,” which means that someone else’s problem due to lack of preparation or planning does not mean that someone else is obliged to spring into action to help. In this case, years of poor policymaking by California Democrats has created a crisis. Residents should not be asked to risk their safety to help fix the problem.
Sources:
Residents respond to Bay Area mayor calling on homeowners to alleviate homeless crisis
Bay Area calls on homeowners to help house homeless residents