Comments on: Release: Landlords Encouraged to Participate in housing the homeless http://insidecharmcity.com/2008/02/21/release-landlords-encouraged-to-participate-in-housing-the-homeless/ Baltimore's Blog Home Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:35:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Lucian Ilardi http://insidecharmcity.com/2008/02/21/release-landlords-encouraged-to-participate-in-housing-the-homeless/#comment-6597 Lucian Ilardi Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:01:23 +0000 http://insidecharmcity.com/2008/02/21/release-landlords-encouraged-to-participate-in-housing-the-homeless/#comment-6597 So the mayor is attempting to end homelessness by asking landlords to home the homeless? Please tell me there is a Plan B. Surely the mayor of Baltimore has better ideas, and if not, perhaps she could get ideas from other cities that have had success in this endeavor, such as NYC. If the homeless are mentally disabled persons incabable of caring for themselves, then they belong in a mental health institution. Those that can take care of themselves should be given incentives for finding a job, and should be provided shelters in the meantime. It is a dead end situation for both landlords and the homeless to ask landlords, who work for a living, to contribute to a failed policy at their expense. So the mayor is attempting to end homelessness by asking landlords to home the homeless? Please tell me there is a Plan B. Surely the mayor of Baltimore has better ideas, and if not, perhaps she could get ideas from other cities that have had success in this endeavor, such as NYC. If the homeless are mentally disabled persons incabable of caring for themselves, then they belong in a mental health institution. Those that can take care of themselves should be given incentives for finding a job, and should be provided shelters in the meantime. It is a dead end situation for both landlords and the homeless to ask landlords, who work for a living, to contribute to a failed policy at their expense.

]]> By: Wayne http://insidecharmcity.com/2008/02/21/release-landlords-encouraged-to-participate-in-housing-the-homeless/#comment-6753 Wayne Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:50:37 +0000 http://insidecharmcity.com/2008/02/21/release-landlords-encouraged-to-participate-in-housing-the-homeless/#comment-6753 A lot of Balmur landlords seem excited by this, but am I the only one that can see that the emperor has no clothes here? I mean, ending homelessness is great and all, but lack of affordable housing is NOT the primary cause of homelessness; mental illness and addiction are the primary causes...but those are too difficult to fix...so it MUST be the greed of the landlords, right? So what shall we do...hey, let's spend more tax dollars to put these people that SHOULD be in a hospital in housing in general housing out among the general public. That way, when they're cooking their crack, they can burn down several houses at a time! If the problem were REALLY lack of affordable housing, she should offer tax credits for landlords who agree to let the tenants stay in the houses - with rent paid for by the city - for three years. This way, landlords would EAT UP these boarded up blocks, rehab them into multi unit buildings, rent them out through the city program. Thus, the blight of these vacant blocks is ended, the homeless have a place to live, and everybody wins. But that would cut into tax revenue, and we all know THAT ain't gonna happen. Maybe it's just me. A lot of Balmur landlords seem excited by this, but am I the only one that can see that the emperor has no clothes here? I mean, ending homelessness is great and all, but lack of affordable housing is NOT the primary cause of homelessness; mental illness and addiction are the primary causes…but those are too difficult to fix…so it MUST be the greed of the landlords, right?

So what shall we do…hey, let’s spend more tax dollars to put these people that SHOULD be in a hospital in housing in general housing out among the general public. That way, when they’re cooking their crack, they can burn down several houses at a time!

If the problem were REALLY lack of affordable housing, she should offer tax credits for landlords who agree to let the tenants stay in the houses - with rent paid for by the city - for three years. This way, landlords would EAT UP these boarded up blocks, rehab them into multi unit buildings, rent them out through the city program. Thus, the blight of these vacant blocks is ended, the homeless have a place to live, and everybody wins. But that would cut into tax revenue, and we all know THAT ain’t gonna happen.

Maybe it’s just me.

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