Empty Homes? Tax ‘em for the Homeless

-

 

(Photo Source: https://www.oregonbusiness.com/article/real-estate/item/18431-estimates-point-to-thousands-of-vacant-apartments )


Every day a student passes through downtown Portland, they will come across a vast homeless population struggling to keep themselves warm. Towering above Their head in the beautiful Portland skyline is plenty of unoccupied apartments, too high price for the average American earning minimum wage to rent.  How do we provide the homeless population with space, if there are no affordable apartments they can occupy? How can we guarantee that pricing does not force more people onto the streets? A solution is needed, and researchers in London are proposing perhaps taxing is the first step. 


In 2018 there were a total of 6,000-17,000 vacant units in downtown Portland. With on average 4000 individuals a year suffering from various states of homelessness. To get them off the street, we need to incentivize Mainstreet to meet these individuals halfway.  By investing in a vacant unit tax we could use the earnings to build a program to support getting these individuals off the street while encouraging the prevention of home loss by greedy landlords overpricing their units.  This could also apply to our current housing shortage, where charging for unoccupied units could generate that landowners compete for tenants to rent their space. 


Homelessness is caused by a variety of factors - but a lack of rental space is not one of them. As a community, we need to invest in finding solutions to this problem, and a progressive tax on empty apartments is a first step.


By Cal Scott

Baker, L. (2018, August 05). Census estimates point to thousands of vacant apartments. Retrieved December 09, 2020, from https://www.oregonbusiness.com/article/real-estate/item/18431-estimates-point-to-thousands-of-vacant-apartments

Peters, A. (2019, February 13). Taxing empty apartments could ease the housing crisis.     Retrieved December 09, 2020, from https://www.fastcompany.com/90305242/taxing-empty-apartments-could-ease-the-housing-crisis

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Homelessness

-
Image
  Source (American Addiction Centers)      Homelessness has a myriad of different reasons it can happen. The similarity between all scenarios in which a person is experiencing homelessness is that each person is human. A popular belief is that homelessness is a choice. People believe there is a set amount of circumstances that cause homelessness and that it is a choice not to fight to get out of those problems. The problems can range from mental health issues to drug addiction. There is no one size fits all, and it is not a choice.  Over the last few weeks, I have learned that there are many factors that can lead to homelessness. One big one that focuses on our class is how affordable housing, or the lack thereof, is a significant contributor to people not getting back on their feet. If you want to learn more about that subject and if affordable housing can help, click here.   This lack of affordable housing is a big roadblock for those trying to overcome homelessness. However,
Read more

Domestic Violence within the Homeless Community

-
Image
  Domestic Violence within the Homeless Community Source: Unsplash The Facts                                                                                          According to  Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 233,832 are people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the United States. Of the 233,832, 50,767 are families with children.  Currently, 30% of homeless people are adult women.  (portlandoregon.gov)   Bradley Angle , which works to support survivors of  domestic violence , reported that 70% of domestic violence reports are from homeless women. ( www.kgw.com)  Homeless women are 1/3 of the fastest growing populations HUD homeless populations. ( portlandoregon.gov)   Specifically, in Portland, Multnomah County has experienced a 20% rise in homelessness in 2023, the total amount of people homeless in Portland is currently  6,297 . (w illametteweek.com)                                                                     Source: Unsplash   The Problem        
Read more

Helping Fuel a Better Future

-
Image
Feeding the Homeless in Portland, Oregon. Back in 2011 ' Occupy Portland' set up over 300 tents to house,   feed, and check on some of the city's homelessness population . Today, tri-county officials have reported that there are more than 7,000 homeless people living within the Portland City metro area and that number only seems to be increasing. Not only do these people have to worry about not having a stable shelter but one of the biggest issues for them is their lack of food and water. Every single day these individuals wonder about what their next meal will be and where it will come from. Although this blog post is focusing on the homeless populations in Portland it's important to know that Feeding America has stated over 400,000 people in the whole state of Oregon have reported 'hungry'. That is equivalent to 1 in 10 people, so the resources I will mention below are not only for the homeless but anyone who feels they may be in need as well.  Never be afraid
Read more