THE PROBLEM
350,000 homeless in California. 3,500 homeless in Sonoma County. 250 homeless at the Joe Rodota Trail last year. And we live in the richest country in the world.
We have a plan. One part of the plan is innovative. To help solve some of the homeless problem. The other part of the plan is completely non-innovative; to help solve the overall un-affordability of housing. Because un-affordable housing severely exacerbates the homeless problem.
Housing is primarily developed by capitalists legally obligated to maximize shareholder value. Or housing is developed by government bureaucracies generally lacking efficiency, innovation and risk-taking drive required for successful implementation of a complex community housing venture. We represent a collaboration of experienced community and business leaders committed to developing affordable housing on a socially conscious and ecologically reverent basis with economic sustainability.
We are not some liberals pursuing an alternative philosophy; we are smart capitalists demonstrating that socially responsible development guided by disciplined business methodology is economically viable. It is common sense in a conscious world.
THE ISSUE
Basically, people want to help. It’s innate to human beings.
But people want to protect their own self interest more. So it’s understandable that families are afraid of a homeless shelter in their own backyard.
The homeless issue has been conventionally addressed by putting homeless into shelters, health care centers or big single family homes in residential neighborhoods. And it exposes an undeniable risk to those neighbors. We can sympathize. It presents a real risk because a number of them are drug users or are mentally unstable. Accordingly, many of these facilities experience ongoing safety problems and legitimate community opposition.
Neighbors bear far more risk than they gain benefit (despite their inherit desire to help). They have no control of those risks because the government selects who occupies those facilities and magnifies the risk with a high density of occupants in need of health care.
This is not ideal for the community.
THE IMBY SOLUTION
The housing affordability solution is found in the most simple, and universally accepted economic theory on planet earth: the law of supply and demand.
By providing affordable housing units in my back yard, the price of housing naturally declines to a lower price. It is an incontrovertible natural law.