As I was watching the planning preview for the city (FF: 5:00) they had on the housing specialist for the city and he talked about the continued success of community development loans (duh). He admitted those loans and endowment built from repayments is around $1 million a year. I have been saying for a long time the city needs to implement a pilot program targeting the neighborhoods in most need with community development loans. The housing guru also admitted that cleaning up current affordable housing stock is a lot cheaper then creating new spaces. (also duh)
I have often been baffled about a program that works so well doesn’t have millions thrown at it each year. As governor Hair Extensions would say, “Federal money has strings attached.” Yeah, they actually expect the programs to help PEOPLE and not just DEVELOPERS.
The city has had a tool for decades to clean up neighborhoods in this city and have only used kid gloves applying it. Why?! If something works, you run with it.
It occurred to me that the city should ask Texas for buses of immigrants who could fill jobs in fast food and at Smithfield. Then, fill them with homeless, prisoners, and drug addicts before sending them back.
But if you make things too nice, then many won’t be able to afford them. Maybe those who can’t could camp at Falls Park, however. It could be called the Sioux Steel Pup Tent Commemorative Park:
https://www.fiftygrande.com/guide/best-things-to-do-in-sioux-falls/
Actually, the emergence of tents in our cities is a Hooverville in slow motion which has taken decades to create. Rome was not built in a day and a true Hooverville can’t be either. First, you must change the tax policy so the wealthy can keep more. Then, two, the wealthy must begin – with the help of their new found wealth – to build, and thus steal land, resources, and labor from the middle class for their decadent taupe color dachas. Third, all of this then causes a shortage of middle class homes, which results in more people living in tents as they can no longer afford the payments, the taxes, and the insurance for a dwindling supply of middle class homes.
Taupeville was not build in a day, but neither was the modern day Hooverville. Land reform is the answer, but for now our political leaders would rather put a tarp on it all and call it a day. #TaupeTarp #BlueTarpsAre4Losers
“Holy Toledo!”…. “I’d say it’s time to get the Jesus plows out!”