To the editor: Columnist LZ Granderson rightfully says that eradicating encampments and getting folks shelter are essential to bolstering our downtowns (“Pushing more Americans into homelessness is no way to revitalize downtowns,” Might 24). Nonetheless, the present price of getting folks out of shelters and into houses is dismal as a result of there’s a lack of reasonably priced housing.
In my function as vice chair of the Buena Park Navigation Heart Oversight Fee, I see that lower than 15% of purchasers depart to go to secure housing despite in depth housing navigation help. The fortunate few who’re in a position to acquire housing are within the middle for greater than a 12 months, a spot designed for short-term stays.
We’d like extra artistic methods to make sure that protected locations to name residence can be found for everybody. We have to construct extra housing and, whereas ready 5 to 10 years for it to be constructed, we’d like artistic options resembling single-room occupancy areas, tiny houses and shared-housing fashions. We additionally want extra packages to stop folks from falling into homelessness within the first place, resembling rental help, utility help, authorized illustration at eviction courts and help when a disaster hits and persons are residing verify to verify. Our state, county and metropolis budgets and insurance policies can help these methods.
Barry Ross, Santa Ana
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To the editor: It’s actually disappointing to see a Los Angeles Occasions opinion author say that officers shouldn’t be targeted on “providing tax breaks to would-be builders” for constructing locations for the homeless in downtowns. It exhibits that individuals don’t have a fundamental understanding of why others are homeless. We now have a skyrocketing homeless inhabitants as a result of we don’t have sufficient locations for folks to dwell.
Altering the principles to construct extra houses is one of the best factor that politicians might do to assist the homeless. Certain, the homeless may not transfer into all these new shiny downtown towers, however having folks residing in these new towers would release extra housing for the individuals who want it essentially the most.
Or we are able to simply hold stalling on new housing and the wealthy will take the housing the poorer inhabitants at present has and the variety of homeless folks in downtowns will enhance.
Josh Albrektson, South Pasadena
