Submitted by Gary Davis.
It’s wonderful news that we are building more “Low-income Housing” in Pierce County.
However, if you must make at least 2× the amount of rent, and cannot have any evictions on your rental history, then it doesn’t matter how many “low-income” buildings you have.
There will never be an end to this “crisis”, if our federal and local government cannot work together on the other issues that “low-income” individuals are facing.
Maybe we should start, by looking into some of the “reasons” that they are “low-income”.
I, myself am “permanently disabled”, and so is my fiancé. Together our combined income is still doesn’t equal 2× the rent amount in most places. Not to mention, that you cannot have even one single “eviction” on your record.
Not everyone is “homeless” for the same reasons, and not everyone has an “eviction” for the same reasons. Some people (a lot), have been evicted, and or forced out, due to circumstances beyond their control.
Not everyone who is “homeless”, are “drug addicts”. Not everyone that is “homeless” are “criminals”.
Yes, in my experience interacting with people in this situation, most of them are addicts. However, I have noticed that there are quite a few, whom would not, and did not do “drugs” until they were forced into the situation that they are currently in.
In conclusion, we are NOT all “created equal” and we are NOT all in this “crisis” for the same reasons.
But, we can all work together, and try to come up with better ideas, rather than just complaining about it!
Thank you for letting me rant about this, and this is my first time writing about anything.
Thank you for putting this message together. I agree with you totally. If things continue on their way many of us will be living out on the streets before not too long we’ll be lucky to get through the winter it depends on whether the landlords raise our rents again if they do it’s over we’re all hanging on by the skin of our teeth now and we’re not all drug addicts we’re not all convicts we’re not all thieves, liars and beggars some of us are just average people like the rest of you we just don’t get the same income you get for various reasons but again thank you for writing this letter it’s a very important one I just wish somebody would listen
Somebody did listen, THANK YOU ❣️
I wasn’t sure if I would get any positive feedback from my letter. I thought I would have a lot more negative thoughts about it, I really do appreciate the positive feedback, especially when this is something that I have never done before and I was a bit nervous about it.
Gary,
You did not write any solutions to the problem. I would be very interested in hearing what your ideas are. It is unfortunate that people find themselves in this homelessness situation. The reasons how they got there really do not matter to some of us. I say this because I am on the other end of the fence, I have rental properties, and I find these issues increasingly difficult to deal with because it seems that the renter has more rights than the property owner. For two years we could not evict anyone. Tell me any other business that must provide a service without getting paid? I am sorry for your circumstance, but try to look at it from the other end as well.
Hi Jason,
I don’t know that I have any Real solutions to this problem, and I DO totally understand that a lot of “Landlords” have been affected by this situation as well.
I know that probably most of these tenants used the “Pandemic” as an excuse to not pay rent. However I am Not one of those, I paid my rent on time every month, and my landlord was trying to get me to apply for rental assistance when I did not need it, and I have been harassed for the past 3 years from 2 different Landlords. Again I paid my rent. I completely forgot what you are saying, and it definitely goes both ways, Not all “Landlords” are crooked, but in my recent experience, they can be Very Greedy.
While I don’t have a good solution, I don’t think raising the rent is going to be any kind of Help either. If nobody can afford the rent?, then it becomes a “Catch 22” situation, No renters, No income?, if any thing, lower rent and more people are likely going to be able to afford to pay. If you don’t have any tenants, then you don’t get any rent.
My only possible solution is to put a cap on the amount of Rent and maybe? Looking at individuals on a case by case basis, having an Eviction on the rental history, pretty much Gaurentees you won’t be accepted.
Wether people are created equal isn’t the issue. The issue is choices. Some people make bad choices that directly affect their lives in the future. Why, because it seams easier at the time? So the people that knuckle down and don’t make bad choices, they make good choices that help them long term, what , we are expected to pay for the bad choices of others? Yes that is socialism. If you have been evicted, in this state, then no matter what you may think, you’ve broken a contract by either not paying the bill or doing something so bad you could be legally evicted. Which is not easy these days.
If you’ve been evicted then you’ve cost a landlord thousands of dollars not leaving when you were supposed to and in legal trouble fees.
If you’ve made life choices that affects your income, isn’t that your responsibility? If it isn’t, how is it someone else’s?
Drugs are out there, not everyone makes that poor choice.
One of the big reasons rents and deposits are so high is because it’s risky renting to people these days since single family landlords have been beleaguered by liberal governments poor choices affecting their private contracts letting people not pay and not be evicted. I know several people forced to sell their retirement rentals because of non paying renters and not being able to evict them.
Unemployment was readily available, why not pay the rent like you said you would? Peoples word doesn’t count for anything anymore.
OK, so, I have clearly made a point of Not catoragizing everyone in the same way, I PAID my rent on time every month, and I am Very “low income”, I also have made MANY “Poor Choices”, I have been a “Drug Addict”, “Bad choices”, “Drug addiction”, “Low-income”, I fit in to ALL of these categories, and yet I still managed to pay my bills, and No I didn’t Beg,Barrow, or Steal, nor am I a “Drug Dealer”. I am just an average person who has Worked Hard, and am now “Permanentely Disabled”, trying to enjoy life. We ALL make mistakes and bad decisions in life, so I am not trying hard NOT to “Judge” any “Human Beings”, especially when WE don’t know what their individual situation may be.
Thank you again for letting me rant, and for your input on this matter, I Do appreciate ALL of your comments, positive or negative, at least WE are talking about it TOGETHER.
Landlord greed is the problem, plain and simple. Squeeze the renters for all it’s worth and then plead it’s a supply/demand issue (supposedly relieving the landlord of any sort of guilt). Just because the landlord CAN raise the rent doesn’t mean it has to be raised.
We all pay a high price for criminal and parasitic behavior.
If you consider the cost of that, from the commission of said crimes to the ripple-effect through society, the cost of living would be way less if people would conduct themselves in an ethical manner.
Communism is back in style again since its last inevitable failure, championed by those who would again leverage such a farce for political power.
Theft, sloth, and bad choices overwhelm the misfortune we could otherwise absorb.
If you are standing there with a capable but outstretched palm, you are the problem.
Every society that has become expectant and dependent on others for their existence, has collapsed under its own weight, or they live small limited lives under someone else’s control.
That is what the global elites and the World Economic Forum have in store for us.
Own nothing; eat bugs; and subordinate yourself to those who control everything – that is the plan. They tell us so.
Look it up. It’s not hard. You’re already here.
What they offer is serfdom, but people seem to be embracing it as opportunity, because that’s how it’s being packaged and sold by those who have sold out to the scheme.
There will be much buyer’s remorse, but it will be too late to enjoy the greatest and most-free nation in the history of the world, as freedom will be replaced with collectivism.
You want a solution? Ok.
Get tough on crime – make sure it doesn’t pay.
Reinvest the savings that are otherwise squandered on a so-called but failed justice system.
Refuse to give up your rights – mainly self defense and free speech.
Demand accountability from leadership and bureaucracy to follow the law under the Constitution, with severe consequences for failure to do so.
Help others as you can, without sabotaging your own wellbeing.
Love America, love yourself, and love your neighbor.
Take responsibility for yourself.
Those are the expectations I was raised under.
Those are the expectations I have for my family.
If you can’t do that, then you are either one of misfortune, or you are simply the problem.
Very well said, sir.
Thank you for putting it out there,
plain and simple.
You do not need to be a rocket scientist, just
maintain consistency in the manner you said.
Thanks again.
If the Pierce County Tax Assessor would lower the property tax for rentals, the rent prices would not be going up. My rental properties taxes went up an average of 21%. this year, and last year. If I were a low income person, I would be voting for people that controlled government spending. I only raise the rent when the property taxes go up. If you have been evicted in this State,, you cost the landlord a bunch of money. Did you pay them back? I charge first, last and a $5,000.00 deposit. All my renters are very happy to live in their very nice homes.
Hi Gary, I’m sorry you’ve had a hard time, and I understand trying to make it.
Try to remember that life is a unbelievably incredible gift, try to treat every single day like you are blessed to be here. You only live once my friend, don’t squander it, make a plan for your life, put it into motion, and stick to it.
The only person who can beat you is you, if you give up. Good luck to you my friend.
Also, If you are tired of your rent getting raised, a very easy way to help stop that is to quit voting yes for every property tax levy that only the land owners have to pay. Our property taxes keep going up every year, you can bet we are not voting yes to raise them, tenants are, because they don’t think they are having to foot the bill. But the fact of the matter is that you ARE paying because every levy that gets passed, your rent is raised. Period.
All that whining and not a single solution. Permanently disabled, riiiiight. Permanent parasite living off tax payer dollars.If you’re healthy enough to write this letter, you’re healthy enough to have a job.