This San Jose housing effort could be a model for other cities. Jobs and job training is a part of returning the homeless to function and function well. Affordable housing is a country wide issue and should be addressed in a way that resolves the problem for individuals and families forever.
...Although few places in the United States have escaped recent hikes, rental spikes have been particularly pronounced along the Sun Belt and in Florida. The state is home to the three metro areas where monthly rent jumped the most: Naples, Sarasota and Tampa. Monthly rents in those cities are up between 29 percent and 39 percent in the past two years, according to CoStar....
Housing increases are a two edged sword. On one hand increased values for homes and property is a boom for the owner(s), but, with an increase in value comes an increase in local taxes and that is passed on directly to those that rent. So, should there be rent control? Or should there be a process to determine what is an appropriate increase in rent vs. exploitation leading to inflation in the market place?
By Grace Hase
A 2020 ballot measure approved by San Jose voters (click here) to fund affordable housing and the city’s burgeoning homeless crisis has brought in a surprising bonanza — a $65 million surplus.
Measure E — a real estate transfer tax for properties over $2 million — was estimated to put $40 million a year into the city’s coffers in both fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2022.
But the city’s initial estimates have exceeded expectations, bringing in $50.5 million in fiscal 2021 and $90 million for the current fiscal year.
With the surplus of funds, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to spend some of the dollars to support homeless programs, including the construction of interim, prefabricated homes....
Measure E — a real estate transfer tax for properties over $2 million — was estimated to put $40 million a year into the city’s coffers in both fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2022.
But the city’s initial estimates have exceeded expectations, bringing in $50.5 million in fiscal 2021 and $90 million for the current fiscal year.
With the surplus of funds, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to spend some of the dollars to support homeless programs, including the construction of interim, prefabricated homes....
