Monday, March 05, 2018

Los Angeles... strangely is okay with homeless living in tents on sidewalks, but not living in RVs


Los Angeles laws and restrictions on when and where homeless people who live in their vehicles is about allowing people to stay overnight in their cars—if they are parked on streets zoned for industrial or commercial uses. Maybe it escaped their understanding that RVs have beds in them for a reason.

Just as long as the homeless are not within a one-block radius from parks and schools, or on residential streets over night.

Out of sight, out of mind. I doubt many of you are aware of the leper colonies, but this direction of getting the homeless out of view of the rest of society seems to be going the same way.

Alisa Orduna, L.A. Mayor Eric Garretti's homelessness policy director, said the city is in a tough spot—responding to resident complaints about homeless in their neighborhoods, while figuring out how to mitigate the growing humanitarian crisis on L.A.'s streets.

But homeless advocates argue the new rules basically constitute a “ban” on living in vehicles, and note that the rules would not apply if the people who reside in cars and RVs were to simply exit their vehicles and sleep in tents on the street.

No one can solve the many problems the homeless have, and just not having money is only one problem. Complicating the issue is that getting a job, keeping a job, and commuting to work is far more difficult when someone doesn't have a reliable, safe, and dependable place to sleep. Some people are homeless because they have psychological problems, some have drug addictions, some are just behind the 8 ball at every turn and can't catch up and over come the many problems and difficulties that the world around them has.

Are there helping hands? Maybe. Are there shelters for staying in overnight? Maybe. However, if you have to listen to a religious sermon in order to get a meal, and will be in a open room sleeping among dozens of strangers, one of which will try to steal from the others, is that really an option for someone who is safer choosing a place to sleep for the night in a tent? And what about shelters that can't allow the homeless to come in with their dog? Would you force anyone to abandon their dog in exchange for a place to sleep? Really? If you can answer yes, try imaging telling your grandmother that in order to have a place to sleep tonight, it's going to be in a room with dozens of strangers, who may want to steal from her, or force her to have sex, after she has to abandon her dog that she's loved for years, and after listening to some religious nonsense fairy tales how imaginary ghosts can solve all her problems.

Homelessness can be solved, but it won't be. It's too expensive, because it's too complicated, and instead of compassionate elected representatives running the govt that have a responsibility to all the people in the country who have problems about many things, including people who are homeless, well - politicians are ignoring those issues, and focusing on getting rich and getting re-elected.

https://la.curbed.com/2017/2/6/14522644/living-vehicles-ban-sleep-overnight-illegal-los-angeles-enforcement
http://www.scpr.org/news/2017/02/06/68713/new-restrictions-limit-where-homeless-in-cars-can/

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