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Microsoft Co-founder Pledges $30 Million To House Seattle's Homeless (cnn.com)
Paul Allen, a founder of Microsoft has pledged $30 million to house Seattle's homeless. From a report: Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said Wednesday the city was partnering with Paul G. Allen's family foundation to build a facility to house homeless families with children. Allen's foundation will provide $30 million toward the development of the facility, while the city of Seattle has pledged $5 million for its maintenance and operation. It will be owned and operated by Mercy Housing Northwest, a nonprofit housing organization. Seattle is in King County, which has 1,684 families that are homeless, according to the mayor's announcement. More than 3,000 homeless children were enrolled in Seattle's public schools during the 2015-2016 year, it said.
It will be interesting to see if the number of homeless in the city increases or decreases because of this.
This is insane. It is never wrong to help homeless children, especially in a country as rich as the US and a city as rich as Seattle. The risk of accidentally helping some homeless children that also don't have the right papers is an especially dumb reason to not help homeless children.
To liberals everything is great if someone else is paying for it.
We already know that it's a lot cheaper to just give them a house than deal with the fallout of not caring about other humans. Why don't you want to take the cost-effective option?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
The risk of accidentally helping some homeless children that also don't have the right papers is an especially dumb reason to not help homeless children.
You misspelled "evil" as "dumb" there. Because we all know what this is really about: finding excuses not to help anyone else under any circumstances which are avoidable. This attitude was ingrained during the great depression, in which people mostly told everyone else to fuck off while they were trying to take care of their own shit, and it was hammer home during the baby boom, when everyone felt like they were the shit and didn't need help from anyone in spite of the fact that American prosperity post-WWII is the result of the rest of the world getting the shit bombed out of it.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
[Citation needed.]
In this population of chronically homeless individuals with high service use and costs, a Housing First program was associated with a relative decrease in costs after 6 months. These benefits increased to the extent that participants were retained in housing longer.
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/183666
If the rich didn't get more ways to weasel out of paying their due, we wouldn't need the pittance they pay as charity. We'd have the money to provide for our people ourselves.
Fuck you Paul Allen. The only reason you could create that "charity" is because you evaded paying what you owe.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
This is not just free stuff. This is a program to combat homelessness. From TFA this money is going to Mercy Housing Northwest It is the organization that appears to have a great track record. Like most modern homeless shelters, it's about getting people on their feet, it at all possible. Better than spending money on prisons/healthcare costs/crime that comes with homelessness.
From their website Mercy Housing Northwest:
Impact on our residents
Providing a home that families and individuals can afford is a valuable service. Some households need more. And we provide it. We call this coordination of housing and services “Service-Enriched Housing.”
What does Resident Services or Service-Enriched housing mean?
After school tutoring & homework club for students
Exercise, health and wellness opportunities
Nutrition workshops and healthy cooking classes
Tax prep and EITC assistance
Emergency food assistance
ESL & employment coaching
The goal of Service-Enriched Housing is to help families achieve stability and then to enhance that stability. It is stability that can be the greatest preventative measure to help families avoid homelessness. We accomplish this through dedicated and highly-motivated staff, extensive community partnerships, and a focus on programs that contribute to resident success and outcomes that can be measured.
We not only believe that affordable housing and supportive programs improve the economic status of residents, transform neighborhoods and stabilize lives—the evidence shows that it does.
74% of our residents in Washington have consistently paid their rent on time.
91% of our residents in Washington have maintained their housing for 1+ year.
72% of our residents in Washington have maintained their housing for 2+ years.
84% of our residents in Washington have accessed 5 or more basic and enhanced skill-building services.
This is not just free stuff. This is a program to combat homelessness. From TFA this money is going to Mercy Housing Northwest It is the organization that appears to have a great track record. Like most modern homeless shelters, it's about getting people on their feet, it at all possible. Better than spending money on prisons/healthcare costs/crime that comes with homelessness.
From their website Mercy Housing Northwest:
Impact on our residents
Providing a home that families and individuals can afford is a valuable service. Some households need more. And we provide it. We call this coordination of housing and services “Service-Enriched Housing.”
What does Resident Services or Service-Enriched housing mean?
After school tutoring & homework club for students
Exercise, health and wellness opportunities
Nutrition workshops and healthy cooking classes
Tax prep and EITC assistance
Emergency food assistance
ESL & employment coaching
The goal of Service-Enriched Housing is to help families achieve stability and then to enhance that stability. It is stability that can be the greatest preventative measure to help families avoid homelessness. We accomplish this through dedicated and highly-motivated staff, extensive community partnerships, and a focus on programs that contribute to resident success and outcomes that can be measured.
We not only believe that affordable housing and supportive programs improve the economic status of residents, transform neighborhoods and stabilize lives—the evidence shows that it does.
74% of our residents in Washington have consistently paid their rent on time.
91% of our residents in Washington have maintained their housing for 1+ year.
72% of our residents in Washington have maintained their housing for 2+ years.
84% of our residents in Washington have accessed 5 or more basic and enhanced skill-building services.
Does that not sound better than just letting them be on the street?
SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT
in unrelated news, Paul Allen buys Soylent and plans to expand production facilities into a number of Seattle Housing Authority buildings.
"They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
llegal immigrants are just regular people, so you may know some of them without realizing.
NO, illegal immigrants are people who have NO LEGAL RIGHT to be in the country.
Yes, but I believe most people think "bad hombres", not "my neighbors".
Case in point woman who voted for Trump thinking only illegal immigrants with criminal records will be deported.
Maybe you think everyone should go, but many people assume a more nuanced definition will apply.
If they came here illegally then they by definition have a criminal record. This isn't fucking rocket surgery
"It's actually cheaper in the long run to house homeless people than to leave them on the streets. And seriously, the rich are always going to find tax loopholes or tax breaks. Why shouldn't they do something that helps other people instead of just using some loophole that other benefits them?"
I can't speak to the rest of the country but I can about Los Angeles. If someone is homeless and doesn't WANT to be homeless they WONT be homeless for long. There are numerous opportunities to get them in to housing, food, work, and additional assistance as needed.
The PROBLEM is there's a gray area for those with mental problems who refuse assistance as well as drug or other substance abusers. Begging on the street is the fastest way to get money for booze, meth or whatever floats your boat. Any money goes to that -- including rent and food money. They also refuse assistance or refuse to pay for anything the moment they get cash. Things like rent or food or clothing. Either begging or theft.
This is where we need to come up with better terms for "homeless". Like "homeless" vs. "transient". The "homeless" issue has a workable solution in my area. The "transient" solution does not -- and I'm unsure there is a workable solution.
Most immigration status infractions are civil offenses, not crimes.