Competing views on growth and homelessness
Why is housing so scarce and expensive, and what should we do about it?
To quote Mario Polèse:
As in medicine, the essential first step to a cure is an accurate diagnosis. And as in medicine, a proper diagnosis requires combining an understanding of general laws with an understanding of the patient’s particular circumstances.
I’d describe the problem like this: Because we have lots of jobs and not enough housing, prices and rents have to rise to unbearable levels, forcing people to move away, to crowd into whatever housing they can find, or worst of all, end up homeless. Renters are protected from rent increases by rent control, but they live in continual fear of losing their housing, especially when they’re renting from an individual landlord rather than an institutional one.
Competing views
Are people sufficiently motivated to do something about this problem?
Maybe.
People are aware that homelessness is a major problem in Vancouver, but there’s a lot of disagreement about the causes and the solutions. Some commonly held views:
Vancouver already has too many people. People should move somewhere else. (“Doing something” translates to “cutting or freezing immigration” and “blocking new housing.”)
Rents are high because of capitalism and greed. Building more expensive market housing will just aggravate the problem, as profits feed the greed of developers. We don’t have a shortage of housing, we have a shortage of affordable housing. (“Doing something” translates to “blocking new market housing.”)
Homelessness is caused by drug addiction or mental illness, not housing being scarce and expensive. Homeless people move here because of the weather. (“Doing something” translates to “keeping homeless people away from my neighbourhood.”)
Each of these diagnoses translates into blocking new housing: all housing, market housing, or supportive housing.
Previously: