Post by High Priestess on Mar 28, 2017 23:05:36 GMT
Is your Airbnb listing an ideal spot for a homeless family? The city of Los Angeles seems to think so...there are so many homeless people in Los Angeles - more than the homeless shelters can accomodate -- that the city is thinking of putting them up in Airbnb rentals.
And Airbnb seems to agree. What I'm wondering is....has anyone asked hosts about this? I doubt many hosts are keen on the idea. Among other things, studies on homeless populations show that 40-50% of homeless have problems with substance abuse or mental illness, or both.
Would you accept a homeless family in your Airbnb?
la.curbed.com/2017/3/27/15073988/homeless-families-airbnb-los-angeles
I was invited to attend a presentation on work Airbnb is doing for the homeless, this Thursday at Airbnb headquarters in SF. I'm not sure if it's focused on work in San Francisco or all over the nation.
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From the article:
"Since the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority started keeping count in November, 170 families across the county have been unable to access crisis housing because there’s just not enough. In South LA, where demand is especially high, there are currently 76 families on a waiting list for emergency housing....But they’re also looking into new options, including using Airbnb as either a short-term or long-term way to make housing available to homeless families. LAHSA is planning to meet with Airbnb officials sometime this week....But it’s now taking longer for families to get placed in housing, meaning that they’re spending more time in crisis housing than they used to. Previously, a family might wait about 45 days to be placed in housing. Now it’s taking 99 days.
"As the rental market has tightened, it's become much harder to get homeless families into housing. Rents keep rising,” Hall said"
This story reflects a problem I've noticed throughout the Bay Area --- people who are too indigent to afford local housing are looking for housing in the most expensive housing markets in the nation. This defies common sense. Even those working in homeless agencies agree, one said, "You can't expect to arrive in Beverly Hills and then demand to be given a home there. "
Cities need to encourage these families to go someplace where the housing costs less. There are many areas of the nation where housing costs less than LA, San Francisco. Take Memphis for instance. From what I have heard, you can buy a house there, outright, for less than two month's rent in a standard apartment in SF. This is what poor people have always done -- migrate to where they can find a better situation. Why are people failing to migrate now, but just staying where they are and throwing up their hands and expecting to be rescued? I think this phenomenon is a reflection of our entitlement culture. If cities want to pay to house the poor, common sense suggests they should house them in regions where the cost of doing so is less -- so move them from LA and SF to Bakersfield, Vacaville, Redding -- other areas where rents are much lower. When people see that they can't pick and choose the most ritzy hoity toity areas to go throw up their arms and demand to be rescued and given housing, but will get sent to the equivalent of a trailer park in a run down town, then they may stop expecting to be rescued.
And Airbnb seems to agree. What I'm wondering is....has anyone asked hosts about this? I doubt many hosts are keen on the idea. Among other things, studies on homeless populations show that 40-50% of homeless have problems with substance abuse or mental illness, or both.
Would you accept a homeless family in your Airbnb?
la.curbed.com/2017/3/27/15073988/homeless-families-airbnb-los-angeles
I was invited to attend a presentation on work Airbnb is doing for the homeless, this Thursday at Airbnb headquarters in SF. I'm not sure if it's focused on work in San Francisco or all over the nation.
From the article:
"Since the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority started keeping count in November, 170 families across the county have been unable to access crisis housing because there’s just not enough. In South LA, where demand is especially high, there are currently 76 families on a waiting list for emergency housing....But they’re also looking into new options, including using Airbnb as either a short-term or long-term way to make housing available to homeless families. LAHSA is planning to meet with Airbnb officials sometime this week....But it’s now taking longer for families to get placed in housing, meaning that they’re spending more time in crisis housing than they used to. Previously, a family might wait about 45 days to be placed in housing. Now it’s taking 99 days.
"As the rental market has tightened, it's become much harder to get homeless families into housing. Rents keep rising,” Hall said"
This story reflects a problem I've noticed throughout the Bay Area --- people who are too indigent to afford local housing are looking for housing in the most expensive housing markets in the nation. This defies common sense. Even those working in homeless agencies agree, one said, "You can't expect to arrive in Beverly Hills and then demand to be given a home there. "
Cities need to encourage these families to go someplace where the housing costs less. There are many areas of the nation where housing costs less than LA, San Francisco. Take Memphis for instance. From what I have heard, you can buy a house there, outright, for less than two month's rent in a standard apartment in SF. This is what poor people have always done -- migrate to where they can find a better situation. Why are people failing to migrate now, but just staying where they are and throwing up their hands and expecting to be rescued? I think this phenomenon is a reflection of our entitlement culture. If cities want to pay to house the poor, common sense suggests they should house them in regions where the cost of doing so is less -- so move them from LA and SF to Bakersfield, Vacaville, Redding -- other areas where rents are much lower. When people see that they can't pick and choose the most ritzy hoity toity areas to go throw up their arms and demand to be rescued and given housing, but will get sent to the equivalent of a trailer park in a run down town, then they may stop expecting to be rescued.