War on Poverty was the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his 1964 State of the Union address. He sought expansive social-welfare legislation in his proposal to Congress.
While there was no doubt a great need existed, circumstances of the growing Vietnam War was draining the resources of the nation and it became truly a domestic battle between Conservatives who claimed the "give-away" programs would leave Americans dependent and dysfunctional, not self-sufficient. While Liberals beat the drums that far too little was being proposed and was insufficient to meet the need to lead people out of poverty,.
President Trump has completely turned the War on Poverty around and his budget declares war on the victims of poverty. While spending goes wild and the Republican-Trump tax cuts for the rich and corporations runs the United States into huge deficits and creates public debt far, far into the future. Programs for the poor and government protections for everything from the environment to banking to health care are to be destroyed.
Unless Congress changes its' tune and it doesn't look promising with the current bunch of Republicans lining up behind Trump like sheep. The first chance to correct the numbers in Congress won't come until November and by that time it may be too late in the season to shear Trump blinded sheep. Hopefully unlike the past, election confusion we may once defeat Republicans-Conservative-Tea Baggers in Congress and the result be more liberal faces appearing.
Public education is deteriorating and private for profit schools are fighting for taxpayer funds at heavy cost to local traditional education facilities with so far no effort to stop the trend has succeeded. Public education has their warriors and patrons alerting everyone that corrections must come. Public awareness of the raising individual education costs are slowly being recognized.
Great advances in Medicine are being made, however, at the same time health care options are suffering under constant relentless attacks by Republicans "hell-bent" to destroy "Obamacare". Resolute in his election promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Trump has stirred on the Republican majority in Congress and while being unsuccessful on repeal millions of Americans stand to lose their newly found health care by slow death actions designed to kill the Obama health care options .
Education, Financial Protections, Tax Policy and Environment short comings are being widely discussed but one of the most critical needs and under strong attack in President Trump's new budget proposal are housing requirements and shelters for the homeless and others in the cycle of poverty.
How often have we heard, "let them pull themselves up by their boot straps"?
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said recently. "Not everyone can just pull themselves "Up by the bootstraps', Unless you do something to knock [barriers] down or help that person up they will never have a chance."
It is tough all most impossible to get employment without a permanent address, what about school and that education needed to strap up those boots, living out of the back seat of a car?
LEVEL PLAYING FIELD? NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO WITHDRAW FUNDING!
In President Trump's Federal Budget, he proposes to reduce Section 8 Housing assistance and eliminates $1.9 Billion fund for public housing capital repairs. Putting off bridge repairs and maintenance has shown what happens there. Can you imagine what public housing will look like in a few years of neglect?
MORE! The Trump Budget zeros out community development Block Grants which pays for disaster recovery and provides grants to states and local governments to increase home ownership for the lowest income Americans and funding for neighborhood redevelopment.
The problems continue to mount, in Orange County, California a US District Judge David Carter is demanding Orange County officials find shelter for hundreds of people who have been living in camps along the Santa Ana River. Judge Carter also put a halt to Sheriff's Deputies arresting homeless people who refuse to leave. The Judge issued a temporary restraining order barring arrest of those who refuse to leave. This problem of homeless encampments, living cars in parking lots, in business doorways, "on the streets" is so wide spread cities and towns across the country are forced to waste scarce taxpayer dollars on police enforcement in trouble areas through out their jurisdictions.
Not even mentioning the massive disruptions between the FEDS and sanctuary cities harboring undocumented people. Transient populations are constantly under pressure with citizens in the communities making complaints to authorities like a dog chasing its' own tail. Round and round we go.
Our national disgrace in housing requires action and solutions!
Desperation can bring solutions. The National Housing Act of 1934 was a result of banks failing in the Great Depression. Out of the "New Deal" legislation the Federal Housing Administration was born. Over the years FHA provided credit-constrained borrowers, Young Americans. African Americans, Hispanic American home purchase financing with low down payments, long term amortization, honest terms and honest appraised values.
FHA and government home purchase assistance is still available and should be expanded.
Land Grants, providing land for building could provide leveraging to obtain financing to build a home with a backup loan available through FHA if necessary. Land Grants or Homesteads were available in Alaska up until 1986 and today long term, low down payment Homesteads are still available in Alaska.
Modern day Homesteading is available in Tennessee, Iowa and Colorado. Federal, state and local surplus lands need to be put to the highest and best use. It may well be open space or reserved for future development would be the priority, however a complete inventory and determination should be worked in for all vacant public lands especially in the West where huge parcels of land are requiring local services, fire and police protection without payment of local taxes.
Federal and other publicly owned lands are exempt from property taxes avoiding paying for public services. This opens up the question of "in lieu of tax" payments to relieve the burden to local taxpayers for massive parcels of non-taxed public lands.
Highest and best use maybe consolidation and transfer of land between public entities or even private ownership. Long-term land use planning, the question of in lieu of taxes are a definite consideration in providing for housing. The pressure of both providing public services and solving squatters encampments in California must be included in the housing needs of our citizens.
Looking at surplus public lands to be used for "tiny house" subdivisions or similar to what is happening in Portland, Oregon. They are using waivers of building fees and zoning restrictions to build a guest house or "mother-law" cottage on existing single family lots.
Building fees and some carefully provided zoning and building restriction waivers could be provided to encourage "in filling" in some urban areas.
Unproductive motels have been rehabilitated to provide low cost housing. Vacant mobile home park spaces using trailers similar to those furnished by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could be used for "interim housing" with the tenants responsible for the park space charges.
Traditional shopping malls are being abandoned in favor of larger "super store" shopping centers and outlet malls replacing them. Vacant space at abandoned {not really abandoned but not used} strip malls are being converted to Churches, schools and other non-original uses.
What if private funding could be used to convert some of these malls using the tiny house concept to individual units for rentals or condo/coop housing units? Public facilities, parking, transportation, sewers, roads, water already in place. {Tenants, the prospective residents are all around and ready to be helped off the streets.}
Housing is a problem and solutions will lead to the stability providing pride, holding family units together. We desperately need to stop dropping off the kids with family or friends to live. How much better finding employment opportunities without worrying where the family sleeps tonight.
Smile, solving some housing problems will be a giant step lifting many up from drowning in the waters of despair.
