(RepublicanNews.org) – California’s epidemic of homelessness has escalated to such a point that even otherwise liberal residents are now saying, “Not in my backyard.” Wealthy locals in the San Francisco Bay town of Milbrae are now being referred to as NIMBYs after protesting a San Mateo County plan to convert a former area hotel into homeless apartments.
An August 18th community meeting addressing the issue took place in a venue that had a seating capacity of 300, but so many people showed up to voice concerns that residents were forced to listen to the proceedings in the adjacent hallways. Many arrived with homemade signs.
County officials advocating for the building’s transition told attendees that they need not worry because potential homeless residents would be vetted and that an application for funding had been submitted through California’s Project Homekey.
According to a tweet from a local Democrat leader, a San Mateo County official appeared to suggest that wealthy area residents were at least partially to blame for the local homeless population. He said that high incomes were responsible for increased property valuations and that the prices of those properties were unattainable for most.
A video of the meeting showed that the official’s sales pitch was drowned out with booing at one point. Despite the sentiment at the meeting, 74 percent of county residents voted for Governor Gavin Newsom in the state’s 2022 election.
Homekey is a California-specific program that provides local governments with funds that can be used to purchase and rehabilitate properties with the expressed use of housing the homeless. A 2022 study said that Homekey conversions were “plagued” with drugs and violence and that the program had failed to alleviate the core causes of homelessness.
Another recent report said that despite the state spending $17.5 billion on homelessness over the course of four years, the homeless population has grown. One hundred seventy thousand people are reported to be living on California’s streets.
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