Ben Carson’s ultimate claim to fame is his world-renowned prowess as a brain surgeon. Gov. Gavin Newsom, on the other hand, reminds me of the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, the one of “if I only had a brain” fame. To wit, Dr. Carson, in his capacity as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, sent a letter to Mr. Newsom and other state leaders about California’s homeless problems that featured no-brainer data and analysis of our unique problems. The occasion for Dr. Carson’s letter was a request from California for more federal money to “fight homelessness” in the state. Here are some featured direct quotes from Dr. Carson’s letter:
“Almost half of all unsheltered homeless people in the United States are in California, a level about four times as high as California’s share of the overall U.S. population. Los Angeles, alone, is home to 19% of the nation’s unsheltered homeless. There are nearly six times as many single adults living on the streets of California as there are emergency beds targeted to them, the highest such rate in the country.”
“Your letter seeks more federal dollars for California from hardworking American taxpayers but fails to admit that your state and local policies have played a major role in creating the current crisis. California’s unsheltered homeless population has skyrocketed as a result of the state’s overregulated housing market, its inefficient allocation of resources, and its policies that have weakened law enforcement.”
“Higher housing costs in California have pushed the average HUD subsidy per voucher tenant in California 38% higher than the national average. A Council of Economic Advisors Report estimates that homelessness would fall by 54% in San Francisco and by 40% in Los Angeles as a result of substantial regulatory reform.”
“Compounding the homeless crisis, California has undercut the ability of law enforcement officers to enforce quality of life laws, remove encampments, and connect our most vulnerable populations with the support services they need to get off the streets.”
“California must also address mental health. California has since 1995 divested itself of nearly 30% of its acute psychiatric hospital beds, which limits California’s ability to place the mentally ill into these dwindling facilities.” California has not applied to receive additional federal funding to create new demonstration projects for acute care psychiatric hospitals or residential treatment settings.”
“Further, illegal and inadmissible aliens are increasing housing demand and draining resources. Instead of protecting the most vulnerable Americans from the economic impacts of illegal immigration, California has doubled down on sanctuary state and city policies and provided benefits to illegal and inadmissible aliens. These policies strain precious resources and reduce housing options for American citizens, especially the needy and most likely to become homeless.”
“California needs to address the obvious local issues within its control to help address this catastrophe. When California has shown that it is willing to make hard and thoughtful choices to address these issues, the Trump administration stands ready to support its efforts.”
Andy Caldwell is the executive director of COLAB and host of The Andy Caldwell Radio Show, weekdays from 3-5 p.m., on News-Press AM 1290.
