Berkley RV homeless

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Tom

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There's an RV "encampment" of homeless folks in Berkley, CA. They will soon be evicted. Where will they go? See the story: Here
 
Not just Berkley Tom and the issue is growing.  With a motorhome, at least some of these folks have a shelter.  Hopefully the city will find a place to house these people on a temporary basis and work toward a long term solution.  It's a situation that shouldn't exist in the wealthiest country on the planet. 
 
garyb1st said:
Not just Berkley Tom and the issue is growing.  With a motorhome, at least some of these folks have a shelter.  Hopefully the city will find a place to house these people on a temporary basis and work toward a long term solution.  It's a situation that shouldn't exist in the wealthiest country on the planet.

    For most....it is a chosen lifestyle!
 
Memtb said:
    For most....it is a chosen lifestyle!

Without piling on and seeming cold, *I* can't afford to live in Berkeley either. If you're employed (as some say they are), can't afford housing and are squatting (sorry, that's what it is) on property where if I parked my rig I'd instantly be required to move or be arrested and towed, then you are making a decision. The reality is, you have to pick up and move where your job can support a dwelling of some type, wherever that may be - this is the same decision every single one of us has to make, it's not unique to the RV dwelling homeless. To attempt to turn this into a situation where the government is supposed to make allowances and somehow accommodate the situation is a straw man argument. That said, many of the squatters in the "houseboats" in Marin county did pretty well. For years they were threatened and eventually their 'encampment' was legitimized (I have been out of touch with that situation for many years so my info may be very out of date).

"Choice" is a very broad brush and I don't mean to ignore the plight of those who are truly in need of a safety net, but I don't think that applies to many of those in this case. Again, can't afford an RV park in the Bay Area? Neither can I.
 
Definitely a chosen lifestyle for most.  It is easier to beg for money than to actually work for it.  Giving more to homeless/poor people only enables them to continue on the same path.  You cannot help those who are unwilling to help themselves.
 
Sun2Retire said:
Without piling on and seeming cold, *I* can't afford to live in Berkeley either. If you're employed (as some say they are), can't afford housing and are squatting (sorry, that's what it is) on property where if I parked my rig I'd instantly be required to move or be arrested and towed, then you are making a decision. The reality is, you have to pick up and move where your job can support a dwelling of some type, whatever that may be - this is the same decision every single one of us has to make, it's not unique to the RV dwelling homeless. To attempt to turn this into a situation where the government is supposed to make allowances and somehow accommodate the situation is a straw man argument. That said, many of the squatters in the "houseboats" in Marin county did pretty well. For years they were threatened and eventually their 'encampment' was legitimized (I have been out of touch with that situation for many years so my info may be very out of date).

"Choice" is a very broad brush and I don't mean to ignore the plight of those who are truly in need of a safety net, but I don't think that applies to many of those in this case. Again, can't afford an RV park in the Bay Area? Neither can I.


Well said :))
 
I cannot support squatters of any type, but the extreme high cost of housing (or campsites) is a major problem in many areas.  It's a by-product of relatively low wages for many workers, even though the economy in an area may depend heavily on having those workers. Many cities and resort areas suffer this problem. A $8-$15 per hour job often isn't even close to being sufficient to provide even basic housing.

I've lived in two areas where the disparity between the typically wealthy residents and the service workers they depended on were so extreme that the local government ended up subsidizing places for workers to live.  One was a quite successful worker apartment complex and there were surprisingly few complaints about the tax burden. The other was a less formal system of zoning and property tax breaks that helped low income workers have modest homes, but was somewhat more controversial.
Major multi-year construction sites often build or subsidize "man camps" for the many skilled workers they need to employ. Some of them huge RV or trailer parks, and some even offer subsidies to help buy some sort of living quarters.  It's a cost of doing business for the contractors.  Cities and counties may well have to do the same.
 
Seems like folks are making assumptions about these folks without knowing their story.  On any given night in the US there is an estimated 550,000 people experiencing homelessness. The reasons vary from mental illness, bankruptcy, medical issues, etc. Some homeless work. They just do not make enough to afford housing. Some are drug abusers and yes, some homeless choose this lifestyle. I choose not to judge these folks until I know their situation. Simply saying ?get a job? is not the answer.
 
I feel no pity for them. I used to work with the homeless. They are all (100%) homeless due to a drug and or alcohol addiction that keeps them from actually working. As soon as they score some money they are off to buy drugs. If these homeless people actually wanted to work there are plenty of jobs. But standing on a corner twirling a sign, or being fry cook at McDonalds is somehow beneath them. These homeless people have all alienated themselves from all family and friends. If not those people would be helping them. But they don't because they have been burned too many times.
 
Yeah, I really have a hard time with the double standards

I started a thread recently about this issue, and how I'm guessing it is giving RV'ers a bad name.  I am concerned about it.

I wonder where these squatters are dumping their tanks and their trash (sorry, didn't read the article yet, maybe it addressed it... this is just a general comment on the subject matter)
 
SeilerBird said:
I feel no pity for them. I used to work with the homeless. They are all (100%) homeless due to a drug and or alcohol addiction that keeps them from actually working. As soon as they score some money they are off to buy drugs. If these homeless people actually wanted to work there are plenty of jobs. But standing on a corner twirling a sign, or being fry cook at McDonalds is somehow beneath them. These homeless people have all alienated themselves from all family and friends. If not those people would be helping them. But they don't because they have been burned too many times.

another twist on homeless in general to add to your comments.... I often think about the non-government solutions that exist to help these folks.  Churches and all sorts of other charities are out there ready to help....I guess a lot of these folks just don't want to go that route because they would be made to get off drugs, etc...

But
I don't think that most of these "homeless RV'ers" are necessarily falling into those sorts of 'homeless' categories. As I understand it, there are those with halfway decent jobs that just can't find or afford housing, and there are those "van-life" people where it definitely is a lifestyle choice.  Many of these have decent jobs that allow them to work while on the road, computer stuff or whatever... and they choose to live in a simple way and explore.  modern gypsy's.
 
I don't know anything about the people referred to in the article, but it's a fact that sky high home prices preclude many people in the Bay area from being able to qualify or pay for a house. Many can't afford to rent a place. We lived and worked in the (silicon) valley for over 20 years, and saw first hand some of the challenges.
 
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