Baby Boomers Most Likely to Be Homeless
Out of all of the current generations, Baby Boomers are the most likely to be homeless. These people were born toward the end of World War II and the middle half of the 1960s.
Source: Ev/Unsplash
This is due to them having gone through several recessions, which caused them to use up their savings and, in some cases, lose their jobs. This has seen a rise from 10% of homeless Americans being over 50 years of age to 37%.
Homeless Population in California Given $750 a Month
On top of the promise of small houses, California’s homeless population has been given $750 per month as part of universal basic income for one year. This was given to 100 people in the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles County areas.
Source: Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash
They spent this money on food, accommodation, transport, clothes and other unidentified expenses. This is in comparison to the people who thought they would spend the money on drugs, cigarettes and alcohol.
1200 Tiny Homes to Be Built in California
In March 2023, Newsom announced his plans to build 1,200 tiny homes across California in the hope that many homeless people would be able to temporarily live there and get on their feet before moving to somewhere more permanent.
Source: @designboom/X
The plan is to build them across four different jurisdictions. 350 will be built in Sacramento, 500 in Los Angeles, 200 in San Jose and 150 in San Diego County.
California’s Tiny Homes Have Been Delayed
When the proposals were announced, it was initially hoped the houses would be built and ready by the summer, with fall 2023 being the absolute latest they would be ready.
Source: @designboom/X
However, this hasn’t happened. Over a year after the homes were announced, they still haven’t been built, and the date of completion has been estimated for fall 2024. There is still a possibility of some pushbacks to these dates.
Unknown Reasons for Delays
With all these delays, many are wondering what is causing them. The state government is blaming the local government, and the local government is blaming the state government. This is at a point where no one really knows what is going on.
Source: Matt Collamer/Unsplash
Some of the reasons claimed to be behind why there have been delays include the state not properly funding the homes and local cities and counties being unable to find areas to put the houses.
Tiny Homes Take 90 Minutes to Build
What makes the delays in building the tiny homes even more confusing is that they only take 90 minutes, which is a fraction of the time it takes to build other buildings.
Source: @SaulGonzalezCA/X
This is so state and local governments can quickly move the homeless out of encampments and into tiny homes. Federal courts made this a legal requirement, stating that cities can only clear homeless encampments if they have some form of shelter for them to go to.
Cities Don’t Have Enough Money for the Houses
When the plans were first announced, the state was to buy and deliver the units. However, this has since changed to the state sending money to the cities for them to buy their own units.
Source: Frederick Lee/Unsplash
This has created a few problems. For example, some places have not received enough money to buy the units. San Jose was given $13.3 million; however, it needed $22.7 million to buy enough homes for 200 people.
The Homeless and Mental Health
One of Newsom’s other plans to tackle the homelessness crisis involved mental health, which is something he came under fire over from mental health professionals.
Source: Nick Fewings/Unsplash
Between $2 and $3 billion are spent every year under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) to help California’s residents with mental health issues. However, Newsom wants to spend 60% of these funds on the homeless, with professionals worried this could affect existing services.
Businesses Aren’t Getting Any Orders
Some businesses have been approved to help with the project, including Irontown Modular, one of six vendors who will supply the tiny homes to each city.
Source: @SaulGonzalezCA/X
However, as of May 2024, the company hasn’t received any orders. While they could complain from a business perspective, Kam Valgardson, the company’s general manager, has said that the main people being failed here are the homeless.
Tiny Home Locations Have Been Moved
Another issue with the tiny homes is that the original locations that were announced have been moved.
Source: @SaulGonzalezCA/X
The homes were announced at the Cal Expo in Sacramento, where the homes were meant to be built. However, this plan has since changed to Sacramento, with the homes scheduled to be built on Stockton Boulevard and Watt Avenue.
Tiny Homes Have Been Around for Years
Newsom’s idea for tiny homes isn’t a new one, as they have been around for years. Between 2021 and 2024, San Jose installed around 500 tiny homes at the south end of the San Francisco Bay area.
Source: @SaulGonzalezCA/X
The use of tiny homes has been proven to reduce the amount of unsheltered homeless people in cities. All the state government needs to do now is find the funds and push for these homes to be built for the benefit of the homeless and cities in California alike.