As a homeless professional on the streets of San Mateo, that's what I wonder. I see friends and acquaintances -- doctors, CPA's, Berkeley professors, insurance agents, police officers, teachers and all kinds of professionals -- becoming homeless, on the streets of San Mateo County. San Mateo has gone to the "top of the heap" as far as housing prices and rents are concerned. My friends generally make professional income (or not, if they're unemployed!), but they still can't afford to live in San Mateo County (nor can, apparently, even some local Mayors!)
And then I hear preliminary reports from the recent US Census, reporting that a majority of homes and townhouses in San Mateo (west of El Camino Real, of course) are actually "vacation homes", owned by millionaire homeowners in Hong Kong and the Far East. So, for the rich and heavy laden, San Mateo County is a magnet, for housing and possibly investment.
Okay, that bothers me only a little bit.
But then I also see the results on the streets. Sit on a downtown street corner evenings and weekends and watch all the exotic machinery go by. For San Mateo, "exotic" is commonplace, what with Ferraris, Rovers, Benzs, Rolls and other such machinery.
But then, look around. This magnet of San Mateo County is currently building a several $Mil homeless shelter at the SF Airport (far away from any San Mateo residents -- should I wonder why?). With this permanent, all-year-round [shelter], San Mateo has also become a magnet for the Bay Area's "homeless". Hundreds of Bay Area "gypsies" are now appearing on our streets, awaiting the opening of the Bay Area's "Shang-Ri-La" for the homeless (at least those homeless!)
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And these are people who have not/never been seen on our streets before -- attracted here only by San Mateo's largesse. A bed/board resort-shelter for such homeless vagabonds is NOT the solution to the local homeless problem or the homeless problem anywhere! Our local agencies cannot offer anything more than minimum wage jobs to these "gypsies" from everywhere, much less adequate permanent housing. (And the newspapers report that the minimum hourly wage to afford housing in San Mateo County is now $28/hour)
And meanwhile, our own home-grown homeless professionals find no resolution elsewhere either, unless they are willing to risk themselves on the world markets, via the Internet and such.
But in the meanwhile, they are yet homeless and making do the best they can, on the streets of San Mateo, apparently the "magnet", for rich and poor alike!
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.