The PIT numbers for Mountain View are patently false. As a Homeless Services Case Manager in Mountain View, I can attest to there being more than 206 unsheltered homeless people in Mountain View. Let's do the math- 140 represents the 100-110 sheltered persons at the Life Moves Home Key facility at Leghorn plus the 25-30 persons at the Winter Shelter (due to close this month) at the Trinity Methodist Church. The Safe Parking program has about 60 RV's plus about 20 cars/vans. If we assign 3 persons per RV and one per car, that totals 200 people in Safe Parking. Soooo...the PIT numbers are indicating all of the Mountain View homeless population are concentrated in shelters and in Safe Parking?? I don't think so. It's too bad Mountain View City Officials, especially the City Manager's Office, who coordinate the City's Homeless "services" and Law Enforcement, did not respond and cooperate with this informational news article. They have regular reports of the number of homeless in the City.

First, I would like to give the Voice credit for doing a good job trying to fairly represent the facts. I wasn't too impressed by the previous owner of the Voice.

A key point we all need to recognize is there really isn't any Affordable Housing. I think we all need to face this reality. Because if we don't, we will continue down the path of painting a beautiful story that makes us feel good, but ultimately fails. After spending a lot of money on it.
I know this statement may make a lot of people with good intentions upset, but at some point we need to face reality.

We don't have a lot of good options. One is permanent supportive housing, but this area is so expensive you're not going to be able to deliver this service to a lot of people. (Sorry, but budgets are not unlimited as some would like to think).

Another option (which will surely upset some people), it to support people so they can move somewhere else where they can get a job, support services, and affordable housing.

At the end of the day, we live in an extraordinarily expensive area. There are so many factors which makes this place expensive, it would like defying the laws of physics to try to offer affordable housing. And a lot of expenses....we create by our own policy making.

Note that "Affordable Housing" by the definition I found on the City of MV website, is actually subsidized housing. That is if you build lets say a 50 units apartment complex, a certain amount must be "Affordable". So they raise the price on those people paying full price, then buy down the price on an "Affordable" unit. But then, it is still extremely expensive. If you are a builder, taking the risk and effort to build a big building, it is not unreasonable to get a profit for all the effort and risk they are taking. Land, and the actual building out here is extraordinarily expensive. They even have to add head count to deal with all the rules, regulations, inspections, permits that we impose.

The BMR units don't increase the rent for market rate tenants in the same building. Developers get all sorts of concessions for including the BMR units and they design the projects sin ways that reduce their expense in having the BMR units be built in the project. They get added height limits. They often make the BMR units in less desirable locations within the building and they will tend to be smaller. Some cities try to dis allow this but they cannot be entirely successful. The developers
construction cost is part of the developer's investment. The administration of the BMR units (renting vacancies) is handled by city agents so the operator of the apartment complex has less expense than for the market rate units.

How can this entire long article avoid discussion the root of the problem. Credible estimates shows that alcohol abuse affects 30% to 40% of the homeless and drug abuse another 10% to 15%.
If somebody is homeless and using drugs and/or alcohol, they need to be put in rehab, not housing.

I have posted a comment in the Mountain View Voice that is relevant here, so giving the only link:

Web Link