OT A $28 Million Low-Income Apartment Complex Descends Into Chaos in Just Two and a Half Years

[SlyPokerDog]

https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/06/...ends-into-chaos-in-just-two-and-a-half-years/

 

[Phatguysrule]

Just saw this one.

This building seems like a great idea, but we need more. Ideally we'd spread the homeless out among many buildings so they wouldn't be targeting these kinds of establishments.

Once they all have an address and a caseworker it will be possible to get them each the help they need.

Ideally we could convert enough units that don't have access to the rest of the building in the hopes of preventing these kinds of situations.

 

[Natebishop3]

So how long until we implement the Robocop program? Or at least get some ED209s roaming around Portland?

 

[BrianFromWA]

“To be compassionate, we have to house those who aren’t good tenants.”

People like Chau, who seem like ok tenants and could use compassion and a boost in terms of low income housing (btw, median income in Multnomah is 112k?!?), are being terrorized by people doing actual illegal things who shouldn’t be in the streets. Disabled people who just want a safe place to live when they can’t get a job getting sick from fentanyl smoke and feces on the stairs.
Maybe being compassionate is looking out for the vulnerable from those who are a danger/menace.

Phats, what’s a “workable” case load for a decent, average caseworker? 10? 100? Is getting everyone who needs it (whether they think they do or not?) a caseworker even something that’s doable with investment and training, or do we have to think of another solution?

 

[riverman]

Did the apartments descend into chaos or the idiots living there? Something about 28 million and low income in the same sentence sure seems like an oxymoron.

 

[Natebishop3]

Did the apartments descend into chaos or the idiots living there? Something about 28 million and low income in the same sentence sure seems like an oxymoron.

That's how much it costs to build an apartment complex.

 

[Phatguysrule]

People like Chau, who seem like ok tenants and could use compassion and a boost in terms of low income housing (btw, median income in Multnomah is 112k?!?), are being terrorized by people doing actual illegal things who shouldn’t be in the streets. Disabled people who just want a safe place to live when they can’t get a job getting sick from fentanyl smoke and feces on the stairs.
Maybe being compassionate is looking out for the vulnerable from those who are a danger/menace.

Phats, what’s a “workable” case load for a decent, average caseworker? 10? 100? Is getting everyone who needs it (whether they think they do or not?) a caseworker even something that’s doable with investment and training, or do we have to think of another solution?

I honestly don't know. I would think a caseworker could typically handle the needs of their "clients" in a day or less per month (on average). Honestly, 2 or 3 per day doesn't seem unreasonable. But if you just said 1 per day, 20 days per week, you'd need about 375 case workers to check in with each of Portland's 7500 homeless once per month. Easy to do if they have an address... Some of those people should probably be in some form of a hospital, some of them should probably be in jail. But I think 375 caseworkers would be manageable. At $100k per year, that would be just under $40 million per year in salary. Measure 110 generates hundreds of millions per year, ($59 million for Multnomah County alone).

This doesn't include the hundreds of millions per year from the Metro Homeless Services Tax Measure that was passed in 2020.

There is plenty of money to pay for enough caseworkers, IMO. We need to get enough units. This building is a great investment. $28 million bond (roughly $90k per month payment) for 156 units (1br as well as 2br) only costs us about $600 per unit (if taxpayers have to pay it). You could easily house 1.5-2 people per unit, so you're talking about $300-$450 per person to get them off the streets. That's under $5400 per year per person. As opposed to allowing them to remain homeless and cost us $30,000 to $50,000 per year. And then it's paid off after 30 years.

I definitely think we have plenty of money and opportunity to house and help these people. In fact, I think we're wasting a TON of money by not doing so.

Honestly, more of this is sorely needed for us to solve the homeless problem.

Do we think it will be hard to get that many caseworkers? Is $100k per year enough?

 

[Everything Beagle]

They need to separate the homeless with substance addictions and the homeless without substance addictions in places like these. That's what Boston has done.

This is what is so frustrating about Portland; the city talks a great game about being progressive and forward thinking and then when it comes time to follow through with the eat-your-vegetables, be-a-grownup parts of the plan they get distracted because the Chamber of Commerce needs a new golden toilet built somewhere. What did they do with the money the state gave them to help drug addicts when they decriminalized possession? Nothing. Fucking useless centrists.

 

[Phatguysrule]

They need to separate the homeless with substance addictions and the homeless without substance addictions in places like these. That's what Boston has done.

Agreed, but we'll need to get the addiction centers up and running. Perhaps build some of these that double as addiction centers? Just throwing out ideas...

 

[Phatguysrule]

Did the apartments descend into chaos or the idiots living there? Something about 28 million and low income in the same sentence sure seems like an oxymoron.

A $28 million bond is under $100k per month, depending on the interest rate. I feel like that's generally in the 1-2% range, so around $90k per month. That's under $600 per unit for a 156 unit complex.

Add in security and/or social workers for another $400 per month and we're solving homelessness for under $12k per year. Which is a significant savings.

This is a phenomenal opportunity that is being squandered.