☆ Measure A Mythbuster: Homelessness not solved--by a long shot (4/7)
Supervisor Cindy Chavez at news conference 10.12.16, The Jungle, San Jose, KPIX
Eight years ago, during a big press conference in front of what used to be called The Jungle, elected officials led by Cindy Chavez told taxpayers that passing the Measure A tax increase would be “the best opportunity to solve the problem” of homelessness. Although nearly all the $1 billion of this bond has been spent, the county homelessness numbers are worse than pre-Measure A. Something's not working, notes former CM and small business owner Johnny Khamis in his latest Measure A Mythbuster report. An Opp Now Exclusive.
Voters who supported the $1 billion property tax were assured by almost all elected officials that if we just tax ourselves a little more that we can “solve” homelessness. But did Measure A really do what its proponents claimed it would--end homelessness? Sadly, no.
Here are the facts: Eight years have passed since measure A was voted into law, and the latest reports from Santa Clara County on the progress of Measure A are grim. The reports tout how the county combined Measure A funds with the tax dollars we pay to Federal and State agencies to help subsidize the construction of 2013 units, housing an estimated 3480 people. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people that were housed, were not from the unhoused community on our streets and creekbeds. Statistics from the county’s own homelessness study reveal the number of people living on our streets have not changed substantially in the past three years, despite the unprecedented spending by the county, state and Federal Government.
As we discussed in previous articles, the county’s efforts are too slow and too costly to “end homelessness." What is unclear in any of these reports is what is being done by the county to address some of the largest factors of homelessness like mental illness and drug addiction. I also applaud the efforts of Mayor Matt Mahan’s plans to reduce homelessness spelled out in this year's budget. Ideas like his “quick-build interim housing” which is much faster and cheaper to create and the new pilot "Homeward Bound" program that reconnects homeless residents with willing family members in San Jose and beyond.
As Mayor Mahan suggests, a smarter, more businesslike approach would be to allocate our tax monies more evenly, and in a more targeted manner, across a range of homelessness solutions, including increasing spending on strategies such as interim housing, congregate shelters, and preventive measures such as housing vouchers and Homeward Bound--all while we continue to increase our stock of affordable, subsidized housing.
Let's not keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.
Related:
Measure A Mythbuster—How many units did Measure A itself actually build? (1/7)
Fact check: SJ Spotlight op-ed misrepresents critique of Measure A
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