11 thoughts on “The social cost of high housing prices”
I've offered housing to my homeless friend. I have a spare room, it wouldn't be much of a bother. She won't accept help from me, though. She stubbornly lives in her little van down south, mostly for the climate, partly because she clings to the hope that something will break for her. She's gonna be 66 in 2 months, ain't nobody giving her a job. Meanwhile, I have friends here who take in less than her in Social Security benefits, and they manage to not be homeless. In her case it's a choice, and also possibly an illness.
She sez: "Every place has its ups and downs.
Where you live, due to the isolation of the area, options for help (car repairs, health care, contractors) are limited, and everything costs more because the vendors are small stores. That food I bought at the Big Pine market for a few burritos was $30. Also you freeze your ass off for some months every year and can’t do anything outside because it’s too cold. Issues like pipes freeze, etc And you’re surrounded by rednecks, and there are limited venues to meet new people or have a stimulating conversation with anyone.
At least here (in SoCal), cheap food is plentiful, there are numerous options for services and products and we can be outside 325 days a year, sometimes more. Always ways to connect with and meet new people…Not that I have that option really, living in a van. Might as well be a leper, especially behind the “orange curtain.” Stuck up snobs in So. OC especially."
To which I reply: "Everything's a compromise, and I stand by my decision to live here. I do my shopping in Bishop, not the market in Big Pine, and pay roughly the same as you do down there. Living in a van, the cost of a contractor shouldn't affect you much, and I think per capita, you probably have as many or more right-wingers in OC as I do here. And if it was too cold, why are there so many millions of winter sports enthusiasts from around the world descending (ascending is closer to accurate) upon us? If I wanted to, I could dress for it. I'm working outside today, in fact, just wearing a sweatsuit, as I've been able to most days so far this winter. And for $77, I bought a freeze-proof outside faucet to replace the one that used to freeze. Problem solved! And I doubt there's a house south of San Fernando that I could afford to buy, so it really is cheaper for me to live here. It's not for everyone, but I like it."
Yeah, the folks in this profile have numerous problems. But all our problems are worse if you don't have a stable place to live. As James Baldwin said, “Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.”
She and I have been friends since 1968. When she wasn't living in a vehicle, she was living on a cot in her wetsuit repair shop in Oceanside. She's always been kind of a coyote, living just outside of the mainstream, but totally dependent upon it. 3 advanced degrees, unemployed/unemployable…
Yes, she did. Then last year she up and got a job that paid fairly well and continued to collect SS and claim "exempt" on taxes. Then she got fired after 6 months. Now she has to pay SS back, not to mention all the income taxes. So now she has an excuse for being homeless, in that she's broke, for real this time.
I sent her this story. She says that may be sad, but it's the same where she's at now, in OC.
She pays for a Planet Fitness membership so she has somewhere to shower daily, and goes to either Starbuck's or the library for internet access and to charge her devices. All the comforts of home.
Social Security is one of the best things working people in this country have going for them. At least your friend will be able to start receiving it again when she pays back the double-dipping.
The other good thing is Medicare, and that's why Ryan & Koch are so intent on destroying them, either all at once or bit by bit.
I've offered housing to my homeless friend. I have a spare room, it wouldn't be much of a bother. She won't accept help from me, though. She stubbornly lives in her little van down south, mostly for the climate, partly because she clings to the hope that something will break for her. She's gonna be 66 in 2 months, ain't nobody giving her a job. Meanwhile, I have friends here who take in less than her in Social Security benefits, and they manage to not be homeless. In her case it's a choice, and also possibly an illness.
I'm hoping against hope that I won't get priced out of here. Fuck.
And now my friend and I are having a fight!
She sez:
"Every place has its ups and downs.
Where you live, due to the isolation of the area, options for help (car repairs, health care, contractors) are limited, and everything costs more because the vendors are small stores. That food I bought at the Big Pine market for a few burritos was $30. Also you freeze your ass off for some months every year and can’t do anything outside because it’s too cold. Issues like pipes freeze, etc And you’re surrounded by rednecks, and there are limited venues to meet new people or have a stimulating conversation with anyone.
At least here (in SoCal), cheap food is plentiful, there are numerous options for services and products and we can be outside 325 days a year, sometimes more. Always ways to connect with and meet new people…Not that I have that option really, living in a van. Might as well be a leper, especially behind the “orange curtain.” Stuck up snobs in So. OC especially."
To which I reply:
"Everything's a compromise, and I stand by my decision to live here. I do my shopping in Bishop, not the market in Big Pine, and pay roughly the same as you do down there. Living in a van, the cost of a contractor shouldn't affect you much, and I think per capita, you probably have as many or more right-wingers in OC as I do here. And if it was too cold, why are there so many millions of winter sports enthusiasts from around the world descending (ascending is closer to accurate) upon us? If I wanted to, I could dress for it. I'm working outside today, in fact, just wearing a sweatsuit, as I've been able to most days so far this winter. And for $77, I bought a freeze-proof outside faucet to replace the one that used to freeze. Problem solved! And I doubt there's a house south of San Fernando that I could afford to buy, so it really is cheaper for me to live here. It's not for everyone, but I like it."
I can't tell who's winning.
Yeah, the folks in this profile have numerous problems. But all our problems are worse if you don't have a stable place to live. As James Baldwin said, “Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.”
She and I have been friends since 1968. When she wasn't living in a vehicle, she was living on a cot in her wetsuit repair shop in Oceanside. She's always been kind of a coyote, living just outside of the mainstream, but totally dependent upon it. 3 advanced degrees, unemployed/unemployable…
They really have been using those since the Vietnam War. If you've got air superiority, it's a great tool for killing people.
Maybe not so great for killing the so-called "enemy," but it also generates more enemies among the survivors and relatives of the dead! Win-win!
Did she ever work enough to earn Soshecurity benefits? It "only" takes 40 quarters.
Yes, she did. Then last year she up and got a job that paid fairly well and continued to collect SS and claim "exempt" on taxes. Then she got fired after 6 months. Now she has to pay SS back, not to mention all the income taxes. So now she has an excuse for being homeless, in that she's broke, for real this time.
I sent her this story. She says that may be sad, but it's the same where she's at now, in OC.
She pays for a Planet Fitness membership so she has somewhere to shower daily, and goes to either Starbuck's or the library for internet access and to charge her devices. All the comforts of home.
Social Security is one of the best things working people in this country have going for them. At least your friend will be able to start receiving it again when she pays back the double-dipping.
The other good thing is Medicare, and that's why Ryan & Koch are so intent on destroying them, either all at once or bit by bit.
Those two programs have been a godsend for me, too.
<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bki2_wvCEAArUj-.jpg"/>