Here’s a bizarre SAN DIEGO U-T story detailing how absurdly expensive the city’s homeless shelter is during this pandemic. It’s bizarre because the newspaper is actually acting like it’s a NEWSpaper!
The key point is the taxpayer cost per homeless person. It comes to a mind-boggling $210 per day per homeless person (presumably including feeding costs). That’s $76,650 a year! Apparently for couples, it’s DOUBLE that cost.
A family of four? Don’t even think about it.
If it weren’t for the pandemic, it would be cheaper to book our homeless on luxury cruises — where the low-end cost can vary from $100 to $200 per person per day. Probably bigger group discounts could be negotiated. BTW, that cruise ship comparison is MY observation — not the U-T’s.
Another thought: I suspect that a closer look at ALL city costs for this shelter would discover the total taxpayer outlay is significantly ABOVE the $210/person figure. For instance, I seriously doubt this accounting includes the city employees being used in the shelter — unneeded city employees who otherwise should have been furloughed.
One additional point: Remember that the homeless also qualify for other taxpayer benefits. Start with “food stamps.” And many will qualify for California’s “you didn’t have to had been working before” unemployment payments — which in turn qualifies the recipients for the more lucrative FEDERAL “unemployment” payouts.
Plus perhaps they qualify for federal and state tax credits — notably EITC. And for all that, they will pay very little (if any) income tax. Doubtless there are other taxpayers subsidies readily available to the diligent homeless person.
I think I’m going to encourage my grandchildren to be homeless California beach bums. In the future, that may well be the most lucrative profession in the Golden State!