Cars Are The New Homeless Shelters

The AP reporter that talked with me a few weeks ago about homeless people living in vehicles finally published her piece yesterday.

For those of us on the front lines of addressing homelessness, we know that squatting in cars has increased dramatically. You could say it is a result of the foreclosure crisis or the bad economy.

I would say that it is a symptom of a deeper crisis in America. For the past twenty years, our country has not developed a housing infrastructure to ensure that there is enough affordable housing for its citizens. Wages from jobs have not kept up with the increase in inflation. Discharge planning from public programs (including jails, mental health centers, hospitals, and foster care) have no coordinated housing efforts.

And the temptation to provide quick fix “solutions” are typically sweeping people out of downtown cities, arresting them, or building more shelters.

No wonder why people are resorting to living in their cars.

Here are a couple of quotes from the article:

"It's trending toward an increase," said Michael Stoop, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. "People would rather live in a vehicle than wind up in a shelter, and you can't stay on a friend's couch forever."

"For more working-class and lower-middle-class people, the car is the first stop of being homeless, and sometimes it turns out to be a long stop," said Gary Blasi, a University of California, Los Angeles, law professor and activist on homeless issues.

"The complaints are getting louder and louder," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl.

(Pic from http://spokaneupclose.com)