In any city or state you live in there’s plenty of components and aspects to urban planning. Like most things there are usually a set of pros and cons. There are some good things and some not good things.
After six years of research throughout the US, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Public Housing Authority (or PHA) is an irresponsible and disingenuous organization. They are insincere with their efforts. They are irresponsible with their funds and they are irresponsible with peoples lives.
I’ve also come to the conclusion that the cities and states that accept the endangerment of its citizens to the care of the PHA are irresponsible and disingenuous as well.
I didn’t know what to believe before I looked into it. Over the last six years I’ve contacted them on and off.
Let me make one thing clear.
Some things in life that are harmful are sometimes because of poor design while some things are malevolent. A lot of policies in western nations were originally based on racist decisions. They were unfair, unbalanced and harmful on purpose to a specific group of people and have never been upgraded to not be harmful.
The point of this post is to promote upgrades to poor designs whether malevolent or ignorant.
I’ve included questions to identify areas of improvement but the PHA has failed to comment.
Here’s what I’ve discovered.
The PHA is disingenuous
The PHA is insincere
The PHA Is irresponsible
The PHA is designed to exclude people
The PHA is the most disorganized mess I’ve ever seen
The conclusion is the PHA as an organization is a failure.
The cities and states that have been informed of this and allow it are irresponsible and failures as well.
The point is that the organization is a failure and shouldn’t be paid for a job it’s not doing.
Before going over the evidence we have to get on the same page for the actors.
What is normalization?
Normalization is the process of taking something that is not normal and making it normal.
What is reckless endangerment?
Reckless endangerment is when a person or entity engages in conduct which creates substantial jeopardy of severe corporeal trauma to other persons. “Reckless” conduct is conduct that exhibits a culpable disregard of foreseeable consequences to others from the act or omission involved.
The accused need not intentionally cause resulting harm. The ultimate question is whether, under all of the circumstances, the accused’s demeanor was of that heedless nature that made it actually or imminently dangerous to the rights or safety of others. — wikipedia
What is oppression?
Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment or exercise of power, often under the guise of governmental authority or cultural opprobrium.[a] Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced.[2][3] Oppression refers to discrimination when the injustice does not target and may not directly afflict everyone in society but instead targets specific groups of people. — wikipedia
What is a maintainer of oppression?
This is someone who defends an oppressive way of life. Oppression means harmful and painful and exploitative.
For example, at a time when slavery was legal there was a group of people who said, “We don’t think people should own other people. We are against slavery.“
These were the abolitionists. They wanted to abolish slavery.
Soon after another group of people formed who were called the anti-abolitionists. They were people against abolition. They were maintainers of oppression. They defended slavery.
In reality they were only for slavery if they were able to own slaves but would be against it if they themselves were enslaved.
What is oppression denier?
Someone who denies people are oppressed. This is calling someone else a liar. This a person who acts as a gate keeper to what is oppressive.
Sometimes oppression deniers are gaslighters. They know that the other group is being oppressed but they deliberately argue otherwise.
Often oppression deniers are the oppressors or are oppression benefiters.
During times of slavery, often the slave owners were oppression deniers.
What is a gaslighter?
A gaslighter is a person who knows the truth but lies to someone else on purpose to gain a benefit or cause harm to the victim.
Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgement.
It may evoke changes in them such as cognitive dissonance or low self-esteem, rendering the victim additionally dependent on the gaslighter for emotional support and validation. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction and disinformation, gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim’s beliefs. — wikipedia
What is eugenics?
Eugenics is a set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population, historically by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or promoting those judged to be superior. — wikipedia
The PHA has an idea called Priority Populations. Just like the Nazis during World War II they pick and choose who receives services and assistance.
They choose who lives or dies. But it’s not like the Nazis who put people to death quickly but they choose who is put out of house and home and prevented from food to die slow and painfully.
They do this little old ladies not “bad guys”. To loving and kind grandmothers. I’ve met them on the street. Their social security they receive not enough to cover rent.
What is oppression benefiter?
An oppression benefiter is someone who benefits from someone else oppression. They may or may not support the oppression taking place but they are benefiting from it.
What is deflecting responsibility or shifting responsibility?
A person who shifts responsibility or accountability from themselves and their job onto to another party who does not have that responsibility.
Often a job has a set of items they are responsible some explicitly defined and others implied or inferred responsibilities.
For example, mothers have an implied or inferred responsibility of taking care of their children.
Cities who block their citizens from nature have an implied responsibility to take care of their citizens food and housing.
Whose fault is homelessness?
Nearly all the problems about homelessness including the PHA come from the idea that the homeless are the ones at fault. The other part of the problem is the people who say there is no problem and the third is that people who prioritize other things over peoples lives (selfishness greed, etc).
The cheating student
There were two students who were graduating at the end of the semester. Towards the mid terms each student received their report card to take home. On each subject they received an A or a B. In one critical subject they both received an F. It brought their grade down.
On the way home one student took out their report card and rewrote the report card results to give them a higher passing grade. The other student went home and admitted they were failing in the area. The first student went around telling everyone they were doing great even though they were failing. The second student acknowledged they needed help in that area and they received help. Nearly everyone offered to help them.
The PHA is dishonest.
Phone Conversations
When I called I was given misinformation and lied to. It’s the most closest form of gaslighting I’ve ever heard.
The PHA has a program that gives people housing vouchers. These can be used to pay for rent. It’s also called or related to Section 8 program.
There is a waiting list on the vouchers that is over 40,000 people. The wait list was last opened in 2012.
In one call I was told no housing vouchers were available. I mentioned the Emergency Housing Vouchers and was then told the OC PHA was not taking part in the program.
On the next call I was told the PHA said they were taking part in the EHV program but they weren’t ready — even though they were available.
If they were available why not mention it? Or why not tell someone to call back at a later date?
On another call I asked numerous questions on the budget. The representative said she would look into it get back with me. I received an email a week later that contained no answers but the same standard template message that said the housing programs are closed. None of the questions were answered. This has happened multiple times.
This is a follow up email to provide you resources based on your telephone conversation last week.
The OCPHA waiting list for Section 8 is currently closed and applications are not being accepted. We regret that we cannot assist you at this time.
Of course that wasn’t what I asked. I asked how much was the budget and other related questions.
In one email I was told I would be able to be entered into their coordinated entry system. When I called they said that I did not qualify and the waiting list was closed.
For emergency services and/or resources that may be of assistance, including those agencies that serve as points of entry for connecting those experiencing homelessness with the Coordinated Entry System, please see the attached and/or call by dialing….
When I went to their website I found over 10 different entry systems.
When I was redirected to another number 211 I was also given misinformation and dishonest.
They said there were no programs available but when I pressed the urgency of the situation they asked me additional questions about my age, sexual orientation, abusive relationships and so on. They then indicated that ACTUALLY there was additional programs for people in those situations.
As terrible and horrible as PHA and city officials have been there were some that were brave enough to acknowledge and admit there were problems. I guess in todays world it takes bravery to admit something has flaws.
Many of the city and state officials in other states have said over and over that homelessness is unsafe and housing is needed. They’ve said it was the cities fault.
By preventing people from building homes or giving them homes or unused property the city and state is guilty of reckless endangerment and negligence.
Homelessness is a death sentence.
The city and the county and the state’s behavior has put people in danger.
There is first degree murder, second degree murder and then reckless endangerment.
It’s impossible to get out of homelessness on your own
When I contacted the city they deflected and said it was the counties responsibility. No it’s your responsibility. You can claim it’s not your responsibility all you want.
If you have a tourist or travel guide visit your city and it has potholes everywhere when that travel guide does his guide he’s not going to say it’s the counties fault, he’s going to write, “The city of X had tons of potholes. They didn’t take care of its streets. The city gets an F for failure for roads. The city is irresponsible with its funds”
So the conversations came down to a few things.
What is the purpose of the PHA?
Jerry M — “The goal of the PHA is to house low income families (and individuals)”
Juana M — “The goal of the PHA is to subsidize as many families as we can (and individuals) get housing.”
Why isn’t the PHA doing that job?
Jerry M — “We cant house everyone because of budget”
OK so what’s the budget?
I don’t know. Look on the website.
(I looked on the website later but couldn’t find anything). You work there and you don’t know the budget?
What about the EHV program?
- One call: “The county is not taking part in it”
- Another call: “It’s not ready”
So why don’t you take someones number down until something does become available?
- “We’d become too busy”
Won’t opening the waiting list give you a number on people who need help?
- I don’t know
Why don’t you tell them about the programs you have available instead of lying to them about whats out there?
- I don’t know
What about rental assistance?
- “We don’t handle that. Call someone else.”
Isn’t it your job to house people?
- Yes
Didn’t you receive billions in rental assistance?
- “We don’t know”
Do you know why people are homeless?
- No
Do you think it would help to know why people are homeless?
- I don’t know
After more questions and more stone walling it all became clear that the organization doesn’t want to house people, they didn’t want to know the reasons for homelessness, they didn’t want to take their number to follow up to see what happens to them after they deny them assistance.
They were the most disorganized, malevolent organization I’ve ever talked to.
Deaths of despair have tripled in the last few years — suicide, alcohol poisoning, etc
Deaths of despair are direct result of negligence, hopelessness and despair.
- So you’re saying not all American residents can have food, only those with money?
- So you’re saying not all Americans can have housing, only those with money?
- So you’re saying that in the richest country in the world in and the wealthiest country in all of the history of the world, that can create money, we can’t afford to house the homeless or let the homeless house themselves?
According to the World Health Organization it would cost $20 billion to end homelessness. The US budget is $4 trillion. It’s less than 1% of budget. It’s nothing. It’s a penny when you have $5000.
It’s bullshit.
“There’s not enough space!”
There’s over 640 million acres of public land in the US.
“We can’t just purchase homes for the homeless!”
WE ALREADY DID!!!
In the subprime mortgage crisis the gov purchased all the fraudulent mortgages and homes! IT ALREADY purchased the homes. But instead of giving them to the people who were scammed it gave them to the banks that scammed people.
There is no reason in the wealthiest country in the world, who can create stimulus funds at will, couldn’t end homelessness right now. There’s no reason everyone in the US couldn’t have their own homes.
“If we help people no one will work and the economy will crash.”
The economy already crashed! Multiple times and the US injected funds.
And we know the economy can run on a skeleton workforce.
“But I believe everything my political party thinks. I don’t think for myself. My party doesn’t think we should end homelessness.”
Homelessness is a death sentence. Homeless suffer most deaths in Orange County history:
https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/entertainment/story/2021-01-06/homeless-death
You shouldn’t face the risk of death because you don’t have a job. If your job is or has been automated or outsourced by the company that’s not your fault. The Great Depression showed that unemployment is an unfortunate part of societies we live in.
FYI the US population is 300 million people.
China has been helping its people. It’s pulled over 800 million out of poverty. It’s created vocational training programs, poverty reduction programs, housing programs, environmental programs and more.
It was able to build a 1000 bed hospital in 6 days.
Let me make clear where I’m coming from.
I care about the people who are sleeping on the street. I care about the grandma that is sleeping on the street. I care about friends and relatives who are homeless right now. And it’s not their fault they are homeless.
It’s because we have a callous and unfair society that lets this happen. It’s people in power who are indifferent.
The homeless have no better or worse character than anyone else. Their only difference is they have less money than the person who has housing.
Starving people to death or work
If you landed on island that was inhabited by birds and you destroyed all the trees the birds needed the birds would die. We know that birds and other animals need nature to survive.
Birds go into nature and find and gather food and raw materials to make their own homes. If humans take that away it’s not the birds fault if they starve or die. It’s the humans fault.
If you block animals from nature they die. Humans have been doing that to animals and causing massive amounts of death all over the world.
In exactly the same way, humans have done that to other humans.
They block them from nature from fruit and vegetables and trees and land. If humans take those resources away from other humans it’s not the other humans fault if they starve or die. It’s the blocking humans fault.
If you block humans from nature they die. Humans have been doing that and causing massive amounts of death all over the world. It doesn’t matter that there is a job somewhere out there in the world that you may or may not be close to, you may or may not have the skills for, that you may or may not be competing with someone else equally qualified for.
It’s completely wrong to live in a world where your survival is dependent on if someone else has work that needs to be done and if they have the money to pay you.
It’s completely wrong to block people from the resources they need to survive. That’s called siege warfare and it’s been normalized.
Questions that the PHA has been unwilling to answer.
- When does the CDC eviction ban end? june 30
- When does the EHV program take effect?
- What is your yearly budget?
- What other grants and income have you received?
- How long is your waiting list?
- How many waiting list recipients do you go through in a day?
- How many staff do you have?
- How long are the waiting list phone calls?
- How many people do you turn away?
- How do you keep track of those you turn away?
- What happens to the people you turn away?
- Do you ask what has happened to them since they last called?
- Why don’t you put in rent controls?
- Do you know people are excluded from even affordable housing?
- Do you know why people are excluded from affordable housing?
- Do you know how much people make at min wage make per month at part time and full time? Part time is $500 per month. Full time is $1160.
- Do you know how much the rent is for the area? (Average is $2100 per month.)
- Is homelessness safe or unsafe?
- If you are bogged down why don’t you have volunteers go through the list? If you had 40k homeless in OC help you by making one call you could have it done in a day.
- When was the last time the waiting list was open? Waiting list was last opened in 2012
- It seems that it takes extremely long time to go through the list. Why don’t you outsource the call list?
- How much does housing one person cost? HUD says you are spending total $460k per year.
- How much are tiny homes? My research shows large 1 bedroom are $20k-$50k.
- How many people are you housing currently?
- How many landlords are you subsidizing currently?
- What requirements do you put on landlords? Even with vouchers they require homeless individuals to have 3 months work history and triple monthly income.
- What did you do with the CARES Act funding? One county mentioned they bought new equipment (-half a million for new equipment?)
- If you don’t have enough resources why aren’t you making a fuss about it? Why aren’t you requesting more funding in the wealthiest country in the world in all of human history who can create money by will?
- Why don’t you consolidate the call the service line to one line? What you have now is disorganized and unhelpful
- Why aren’t you requesting money for a UBI?
- How many people are evicted per minute in the US? 4 per min, 240 per hour, or 5760 per day.
- How much has homelessness increased in the last few years? PHA uses a flawed Point in Time study to get a count. This is how many people they have in their shelter system. It doesn’t count all the people they’ve denied or disqualified or who are not staying in their unsafe unsanitary shelters. It’s off by about a magnitude of 10–100.
- Why don’t you ask the governor to set up state sanctioned homeless camps?
- How many safe parking spots are there now? Safe parking has gone from 3 to over 30 locations in the last few years
In one sense the state can create money at will in another sense people pay taxes to the state and city for a service that houses the homeless.
The PHA is not doing that job. They’ve denied people services for 9 years now.
If I was paid to do a job and I couldn’t do it what I would do is turn down the contract and say, “I can’t accomplish this job that you are paying me to do. It would be wrong of me to take this money without fulfilling what I’ve been paid to do.”
If you are being paid to house people and your organization can’t do that then it should turn down the contract and say, “We can’t accomplish the job we were paid to do.”
The PHA is like a food bank that has no food.
I’ve worked with companies all over the US and this is most disorganized on purpose thing I’ve ever seen in my life. And the people are suffering and in terrible pain every day because of it.
Last remarks.
When calling the PHA they say the same thing:
The waitlist may be closed and not accept new applications for a few years due to the 40,000 people who applied when we last opened. If you look at the homepage under popular, it gives you the option to print/view the Affordable Housing List, which are low-income properties in the County of Orange. You must contact each owner individually if you are interested. You may also use the link ... to locate affordable units by location. 211 is the emergency resource directory for Orange County. Please contact 211 or go to their website ... for emergency information. When contacting 211 or the groups you may inquire about Coordinated Entry Services for homeless assistance.
This is shifting responsibility. They and the city are responsible for housing people since they forbid people from housing themselves.
Use these and other questions above if or when you call:
What is your job?
- Housing the homeless
Why aren’t you doing your job?
- The waiting list is closed
That’s not what I asked. I asked why aren’t you doing your job?
- Here’s some phone numbers
Giving someone phone numbers is not housing people. If you really cared about housing people you’d be using your leverage
Why aren’t you doing your job?
- lack of funding
So I’m paying taxes for a service that you are not providing me when I need it?
And you’re also paid by the state to house people but you’re not doing that either and haven’t done that since 2012? Do you see anything wrong with this picture?
If you are being paid to house people and your organization can’t do that then it should say, “We can’t accomplish the job we were paid to do.” or “We need more funding. We are irresponsible. We haven’t implemented rent control. We should give the money directly to people since it looks like it’s being misused.”
If the city prevents you from building housing for yourself then the city is fully responsible for housing the homeless and any harm that comes to the homeless by it is reckless endangerment.
It’s clear that PHAs are not “on your side”. They aren’t for the homeless when they say, “Us not helping could lead to your death. Although we have all the resources ever created we aren’t going to help. Good luck solving it on your own.”
Note: There is a new director of HUD as of this year. It’s unclear if they “on the side of the homeless”.
Imagine if the PHA was a person you met on the streets. Here is that story:
people pay money for a safety net and homeless services
you haven’t opened a waiting list since 2012
by not providing these services you have shown yourself to be a thief
by not providing these services you have shown yourself to be a failure as a city as a state as a county
by selecting who gets services and who doesn’t you have shown yourself to be eugenicists much like the nazis in wwii choosing who receives resources to live and who doesn’t
by having the money to provide housing and not doing it you have shown yourself to be maintainers of oppression, death capitalists and psychopaths
by spending 400k per person for who you do help you have shown yourself to be wasteful and incompetent
by failure to ask basic questions like asking why someone is homeless you have maintained oppression and shown callous indifference, complacency and irresponsibility.
by shifting responsibility you have shown irresponsibility
if you really wanted to end homelessness you would be asking questions and having a dialogue, “what we’re doing isn’t working so please does anyone have alternatives?”
homelessness is a death sentence so by not providing services and blocking people from housing themselves in nature you are committing reckless endangerment and murder
comic book villains are less cruel
