Hurricanes?
I heard someone on the radio say that. He said that there would be lots of jobs, so much rebuilding. I ask you, with what money? Insurance? A recent speech by HUD's Ben Carson emphasized that the government would provide NEEDS not WANTS. That means basics. Rebuilding is up to YOU.
Don't come to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA to resettle here. The cost of living, in particular housing, has gone "through the roof" which is not such a funny pun.
Let me explain just how bad it is.
I know several good people who are near homeless or facing homelessness.
Scenario One
This morning I ran into a senior citizen with a disabled son who has lived in the same apartment with the help of a voucher Section 8 from Housing Authority of Burbank for 23 years. This woman was also working into her senior hood. The landlord had long ago stopped repairing things, including the plumbing, and she had previously told me that the Housing Authority questioned how she could possibly go on.
So, what happened? She was given 6 months notice to move, with a rent increase (no rent control in Burbank) to $2700, more than double than she had been paying. Five months in she had nowhere to live, and on an emergency basis, she and her disable child moved into a senior building. It was last minute and she had to give away 70 percent of her possessions to fit them in this new place.
Scenario Two
I met "Pat" while waiting for the subway in Hollywood. A clean cut man in mid life he told me he had moved from Vegas with an agreement to share an apartment with two other men already there. He lived there three weeks when the landlord raised the rent by $300 and said he had to go. Pat is sleeping on the Subway, has a gym membership, and is applying to shelter programs near sleepless, so the question is, WHEN will someone take him in? He has a good education and other marketable skills, but has not been able to look for work with so little sleep. I have him texting me every day, as he does not have a street buddy or anyone to look out for him. I can barely but he says he has a case manager now.
Scenario Three
"Emmy" is a single mom with a child whose father is out of state, living with her mom, and they are not getting along. After months a friend offered her a small single apartment at a reasonable rate, and she is going to take it soon. Without any furniture. Her mom meanwhile told me that her parents are renting rooms in their house for $800. So her parents who OWN a HOME are making $1600 a month on people who have nowhere to go.
Scenario Four
Took some donations to a local church service center that has a little clothing and food giveaway and there met another man who lost his apartment after 23 years. In this case the rent just got higher than his income. He's sleeping in his car while looking for a room to rent, hoping to have a separate entrance.
Scenario Five
I met Becky at my pharmacy where she is a very helpful clerk. The single mom of two, she also lost an apartment that was going to be torn down and where everyone else fled with a couple thousand dollars given to them. A lawyer protected her and got her better money. But one day she had to go. Basically, she is in an RV in a friend's drive way, paying rent to be in it, and she and the kids are sick of living that way. Their grades are dropping. She is on my list of people who need AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
The whole situation here is going downhill fast and I mention this because in the past I have posted advice for incoming immigrants. I now think immigrants who are not independently wealthy should not settle in Southern California.
I fear that what happened with KATRINA will happen after the last two BIG HITS BY HURRICAINES. Basically HUD or other funds will be used to help some people who are displaced MOVE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. CHOOSE ELSEWHERE. I met Katrina families who were allowed to use my gym for free when they came out. They were whole families in rooms in houses and applying for homeless shelters.
When you've lived most of your life in a place, it's very difficult to imagine where else you might go. Even the most flexible of us have a hard time with all the changes.
