How To End Homelessness? Provide Homes

Successful Program Gives People Housing First, Social Services Second

(CBS)  Imagine your best day ever, and you'll understand what Doretha Cotton is feeling, holding the keys to her first apartment in 20 years.

"This is the key to my new mansion," says Cotton.

Until now, Cotton was homeless on the streets of Washington, mentally ill and alcoholic, and part of America's unsolvable problem.

Unsolvable, reports CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews, until Sam Tsemberis turned the approach to homelessness upside down with his "housing first" approach.

Instead of the old way, which required the homeless to get clean or sober first, before getting an apartment, Tsemberis starts with the apartment.

"The treatment for homelessness is housing, so we are simply (saying), 'here is an apartment'", says Tsemberis. "Housing is the cure for homelessness. It's that simple."

Cotton says she feels that having an apartment does change her in some way. "It makes me feel... that I can be independent and responsible, that I can be a good neighbor."

Housing first also involves intensive in-home visits. Cotton will see nurses, social workers and drug counselors. They come with the apartment.

Tsemberis brushes off criticism that he's made it too easy on the homeless. He argues that housing first works - for less. Chronically homeless people now cost taxpayers $40,000 a year each for shelters, jail time and emergency room visits. He says doing it his way costs just more than half that amount.

"Here's a program for $22,000 that gives a person housing and services that end their homelessness and puts them on their way to getting better," says Tsemberis.

Housing first has documented an 85 percent success rate, and is now the official policy in more than 150 cities, including the nation's capital.

"It's actually cheaper than it is to run the shelter system, and a lot better for the people who are in it," says Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty.

"I don't want to drink. I don't want to solicit, panhandle," says Cotton. "I don't have to do those things anymore."

When we left Cotton, her counselor was teaching her to use the intercom.

But it's Tsemberis who has taught officials a brand new way to solve the unsolvable.

[sageprophet]

Bravo. Here''s a private citizen who took the bull by the horns to do something about a real important issue facing our country. Just think how much money would be available to help this man in this effort if we were''nt giving it all away to the Haliburton to fund illegal wars overseas. The man is right. This program will actually save the government money, and restore shattered lives as well. Bravo!

[alphaa10-2009]

Instead of Bush sermonettes about private enterprise, the homeless need realistic programs like this as a foundation for a better life.

Those who neither have studied nor want to understand the effects of homelessness should be so lucky someday to learn firsthand how sleeping over a street grate destroys their sense of what it is to be "civilized".

We Americans congratulate ourselves for our humanitarian aid to homeless refugees abroad, but do not always provide shelter for our own homeless poor. Charity begins at home.

[crater7]

THIS PROGRAM IS JUST IN TIME. NOW, THOSE HARD WORKING,MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE, THAT ARE BEING EVICTED FROM THEIR HOMES DUE TO THE HIGH INTEREST RATES BY THE CORPORATE ELITE BANKING SCAM, WILL HAVE A PLACE TO GO TO.
STAYYYYYYYYYY THE COURSE..........

[knyghtwolf]

The shrubmonkey should hire this guy to show him how to be human instead of a crawford texass shrubmonkey, it must be H3LL living life with an IQ of a talking monkey and a pair of BB''s for stones. This article shows the path that human beings should be walking with, not against. Merry Xmas, shrubbie!!!!

[barbaraf4]

This is a very worthwhile undertaking; however, I will reserve my judgement for 6 months down the road. Everytime I have seen low-income, no-income housing go up, it becomes a ghetto within 6 months. It has nothing to do with everyones'' good intentions; it has everything to do with human nature and inability to change old programs.

[brianbwb-2009]

How To End Homelessness? Provide Homes

A logical solution that has been ridiculously obvious, but also ridiculously ignored by the slave drivers, who depend on sustaining misery as the basis for their power.

The problem is that programs like these will be fought tooth and nail by the current form of economic government, which depends on and uses unemployment, and the resulting misery, through the means of controlling interest rates, to maintain an illusion of a value for the US dollar.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by barbaraf4

There is a reason they become slums having nothing to do with human inclination, but more to do with enforced poverty, racism, and corruption by local officials.

Traditionally public housing in the US is usually zoned "anti business" by city governments, so the residents cannot set up shops, small factories, and otherwise generate income in their own neighborhoods. This inability to draw dollars to and circulate money in the immediate area creates conditions where no maintenance can be afforded, so the area rapidly deteriorates. Crime escalates, drug sales increase, not because they are bad people, but because there are few alternatives to earn money. Since most homeless are also car less, they cannot travel long distances to find jobs in more affluent areas where they are not welcomed anyway.

This is the main reasons that public housing fails in the US.

[jetranger7]

ANSWER : KICK ALL THE RICH PEOPLE OUT AND MOVE THEM INTO THOSE FEMA TRAILERS, AND THE POOR MOVE IN TO THE RICH, DON''T KNOW IF IT''D WORK, BUT ITS JUST AN ANSWER.

[michaelt302]

Wow. Giving a home to someone cures homelessness. Who woulda known? Gee, how easy it is now to fix the problems of the world. Now, all we have to do to fix poverty is give someone a pile of money. All we have to do fix hunger is to give food. All we have to do to cure a lack of transportation is to give away cars. And, we could apply the same concepts to so MANY things, like free jobs for unskilled workers, medical care, TVs, stereos, furniture, and more!! Wow, who ever knew fixing all this country%u2019s problems was so easy!!!

[michaelt302]

BrianBWB, I can always count on YOU to give the Biggest Pile of Bullsh*t(BPOB) answer out here. You chronically make excuses for the lamest, weakest, laziest, sloppiest, and most ignorant members of society. This constant rationalization and apologizing for the poor is such a tired and worn-out clichi, it has become a running joke. Oh no, the slums get created because of THIS blah blah de blah, not because %u201Cthey%u2019re bad people%u201D. Oh no, it couldn%u2019t have anything to do with the %u201Cpeople%u201D, it%u2019s ALL because of all these very complicated reasons that nobody but BrianBWB understands, you see? All these reasons are BEYOND you little people, so just relax, open your wallets, and let us brilliant liberals, who have done such a marvelous job managing handouts(thru trillions in programs and taxes and handouts) continue to analyze and calculate. I assure you , if you just give us a few trillion more, we%u2019ll have this %u2018ole poverty & ghetto cycle worked out and beat. Just a few more years, OK? Uh, no thank you.

[runningralph]

This is a noble effort. It is not the first nor the only noble effort. AFDC, food stamps, Sectiom 8 housing, Medicaid, hundreds of public housing projects, FEMA, unemployment insurance, halfway houses, rehab centers, church, organized charities and others all preceded this. These efforts have helped many but problems still persist. Before we jubilate, wait five or six years and take another look. You can take a drug addict off the street, but you can''t take the street off the drug addict. They are still drug addicts.
Housing projects in the fifties were beacons of aid and hope, many were helped and went on to become taxpayers. I saw it. I was there. These projects degenerated into crime ridden slums. I predict the same future for this effort. Still, it is a noble effort. I hope for the best.

[michaelt302]

BrianBWB, I can always count on YOU to give the Biggest Pile of Bullsh*t(BPOB) answer out here. You chronically make excuses for the lamest, weakest, laziest, sloppiest, and most ignorant members of society. This constant rationalization and apologizing for the poor is such a tired and worn-out cliche, it has become a running joke. Oh no, the slums get created because of THIS blah blah de blah, not because %u201Cthey%u2019re bad people%u201D. Oh no, it couldn%u2019t have anything to do with the %u201Cpeople%u201D, it%u2019s ALL because of all these very complicated reasons that nobody but BrianBWB understands, you see? All these reasons are BEYOND you little people, so just relax, open your wallets, and let us brilliant liberals, who have done such a marvelous job managing handouts(thru trillions in programs and taxes and handouts) continue to analyze and calculate. I assure you , if you just give us a few trillion more, we%u2019ll have this old poverty & ghetto cycle worked out and beat. Just a few more years, OK? Uh, no thank you.

[hungry1968]

How about providing a home to the single mom with two kids, that the children''s father ran out on them? Mom has to work two jobs, while paying through the nose for daycare, food, rent, etc, etc.

Why not give these hard working struggling people a break, instead of alcoholics that are going to end up using their "homes" as bum flop houses, and soon to be crack dens?

[panhandlpete]

I wonder how many young people (18 to 30) are today wasting away in a jail cell somewhere because they got involved with marijuana, either selling it to make a dollar or on possession. Life is life, and most valuable to those about whom we are speaking. BUT, it is more acceptable to forget about those individuals behind bars, as they are not encountered in our everyday lives, and highly commendable to solve the problems of those who would flaunt their plight on our streets and doorsteps.

The cost of keeping prisoners is very high, but it is this cost that keeps the prison system going just like the war machine.......our government''s two best tools for power and control.

[barbaraf4]

"There is a reason they become slums having nothing to do with human inclination, but more to do with enforced poverty, racism, and corruption by local officials.

Traditionally public housing in the US is usually zoned "anti business" by city governments, so the residents cannot set up shops, small factories, and otherwise generate income in their own neighborhoods. This inability to draw dollars to and circulate money in the immediate area creates conditions where no maintenance can be afforded, so the area rapidly deteriorates. Crime escalates, drug sales increase, not because they are bad people, but because there are few alternatives to earn money. Since most homeless are also car less, they cannot travel long distances to find jobs in more affluent areas where they are not welcomed anyway.

This is the main reasons that public housing fails in the US." Posted by brianbwb
~~~~
I agree 100% - you were just a little more verbal about the situation. Bottom line? Public housing never works, and it brings down the value of surrounding properties.

[slim1h2o]

A common sense solution, for a common problem. And it''s a way to get rid of this revolving door system that we have now.
I don''t know how anyone is expected to get off drugs, and alcohol, while living on the streets. Programs demand that people sober up, before they receive help. It''s the ultimate catch 22.
Get them off the street, and most will not be so depressed, that they feel they have to drink, do drugs, etc.
Some become homeless through no fault of their own, of course some do, drugs etc. People do get laid off, become sick, etc, etc, and lose there homes.

While some will benefit, sadly some will not. Of course , that doesn''t mean we shouldn''t try.
It''s a start in the right direction.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by neoconism at 09:02 AM : Nov 23, 2007

I agree,

[hypnotoad72]

MichaelT302 - What would Jesus do? Say "Get a job" while telling his corporate golf buddies "Offshore over here".

Yes, there are useless people in the world. There are also useful people who are treated like garbage.

Helping people who want to help themselves is not a bad thing to do.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by neoconism at 09:14 AM : Nov 23, 2007

I''ll do just that, though I no longer work, anything to get rid of state sanctioned intrusion into personal lives.

This response is mostly for MichaelT302
I was homeless for two years.
I drove 30 miles each day to work and 30 miles home. Then my car broke and as a single mother I had no resources to pay for repairs. The tax money I had paid for almost 20 years should have provided for a safety net, $800.00 would have fixed my car and enabled me to continue to function as a contributing member of society. However, I lost my job, then my apartment. It took 2 years of living in a homeless shelter to regain a semi secure state of financial security and move into an apartment.
Being homeless is an industry, people make a living of those in need and the resources available are very limited and take forever to access. The system is designed to keep the homeless where they are, not to solve their problems, sometimes as small as $800.00 to repair a broken car.
I suggest you stay in a homeless shelter for a week, trying to find a job and transportation, food clothing or even a warm shower. Try walking into a job interview with what you owne in a bag over your shoulder, having just walked 3 or 4 miles in 95 degrees on a hot summer day, remember, you have no money to store your belongings or buy a bus ticket. Try finding housing through a program designed for the homeless if you have no mental, physical disability, have no chemical dependency problem, are not an alcoholic or have no criminal record!

[x-woody-x]

MIchaelT302, you sound like an elitist snob. I''ll bet your parents put your butt through college or left you a wad of money. I am not in favor of throwing money away and I''m not a liberal but you sound totally without compassion. Maybe we should just execute anyone who is retarded, or disablbed or not smart enough to acquire the job skills you apparently have. And while we''re getting rid of these irritating people we could start working on people of color, and the Irish and the Jews too. Someday we will be able to determine who is going to be "weak" before they are born and end their misery before it begins. Hey, they could put you in charge of who isn''t fit to breathe your air, that would make you happy wouldn''t it? Better to spend YOUR money on getting rid of the unsightly rather than helping anyone.

[expatriate07]

Sam Tsemberis is an awesome dude and a true humanitarian. Alcoholics aren''t likely to get better without a place to sleep, poop, or shower. And there is no way the mentally ill can find stability on the streets.

MichaelT302, you sound like a hatemonger, you probably have never had to overcome anything but trivialest of personal problems. You should probably just keep your mouth shut until you have actually suffered on the level of these homeless people. Because you really just sound ignorant and hateful. Or maybe your just 12 I don''t know. Because if you knew anything you would know that the lower you sink into misery and despair the harder it is to get out of it until it just seems impossible. And most never get out unless a truly compassionate and caring person (like Sam Tsemberis) reaches out to them and helps them up. If everyone was like you humanity would have fallen to the likes of Hitler long ago.

[radiob-2009]

Although this program may work for some there are those who nothing will work for.I personally know of two individuals who have given a "home", food, jobs, transportation, drug counseling repeatedly more times than I can recall and nothing works for them. They lost custody of one child, abandoned another and subsequently lost custody. I once tried to help them even took the abandoned child in and was willing to raise the child myself. The grandmother of the child obtained custody (I am not related to either of two)and the child is now safe and secure. He is a victim of the two adults along with his sister. The two are still living off others sponging whatever they can and still addicted to drugs. For seven plus years this pattern has gone on. I see no good outcome arising as one truly has to want to live "normally" in order to do so. How many more of these are in our society beyond help?

[xlib]

Remember back in the Reagan era when all the homeless articles ran. Bubba gets in and-BAM-no more homeless.
I work as a parish nurse in a community outreach center and it is true, many homeless do NOT want a permanent home. For whatever reason.
slim-you are wrong, there are programs that take in homeless addicts of all kinds, begin treatment and then help find a home. However, the person must want to get clean. See, this problem requires cooperation on the part of the person being helped. You cannot force someone to get clean, it doesn''t work. So, this is a issue about cooperation and working together. Giving a home and not expecting something in return does not work.

[anonbene]

Kudos to Mr. Tsemberis. Thanks for doing something.
I too have a project that cures houselessness for anyone willing to work, yes it''s a paid opportunity. It''s open to Vet''s, victims of natural disasters, houseless Moms and Dads, anyone in dire straights. If you know of anyone send them here, www.thebenefactorproject.com.
Also if you are a person that wants to help us cure houselessness and expand the project nationwide please contact us. 100% of donations goes to the recipients needing help.
Tom Canavan,
The Benefactor Project.
It''s philanthropy 2.0. What philanthropy should be.

[adasher1]

barbaraf4, I am inclined to agree with your assessment. I too will hold off thinking this is a great program until I see the results, and I say that because I too have seen tax money go into these programs, and months later the places are a wreck that tax payers have to fund to fix over and over and over. We had a program like this go up behind my sub division and within two months crime came along that was never there before. At the 4 month point, we had 9 break ins, at the one year point we were up to 14 break ins. For 9 years, we had no crime.

While I am inclined to help people before I help corporations, I must question at what point do they call it a success? When one person turns over the new leaf, two, one hundred? What is the cost per success story?

Oh, and what happened to our tax money bush gives to the churches for these programs? Are they using it on other things, do tell?

[slim1h2o]

Posted by anonbene at 10:18 AM : Nov 23, 2007

Kudos to you too. If you have website you might want to give it out. Might generate some donations.

[vancouverboo]

A productive member of society pays rent or a mortgage, goes to work 5 days a week, pays income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes, etc. etc.
Trash gets a free house, free stipend, free food stamps and doesn''t go to work and is totally unproductive.
Ain''t America great?

[likeitis5050]

aandromedah You are correct...as if anyone needs to tell you that. Out system does not empower anyone to get out from under a crisis. From the moment they walk in they are gripped by a system that must keep the person in place until all programs linked have had a chance to bill for their services. Nothing is done to simply correct the situation. Imagine all those who would be homeless if the needy suddenly became self-sufficient. And the truth of the matter is, 98% of all working people are one paycheck away from a spiral into a shelter.

[name_verify]

This was already tried in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The result was disaster. It is rewarding failure. There has been a lot of "failure analysis" since then. The consensus is that residents of supportive housing should be required to meet certain criteria before throwing money down a bottemless pit. When will Libs learn? Tolerance of anything goes behavior, combined with free money, equals social failure.

[marcodele]

There will always be a portion of society that needs and deserves help. There will always be a portion that takes help they don''t need. And there will always be a portion of society that doesn''t think anyone else should get anything for free.

I think we should shift the focus of social programs to those who need and deserve temporary help and steer the dollars away from government subsidized breeding programs. As long as the government assures those who breed indiscrimately that they will receive free checks for life, we are simply creating homelessness and helplessness.

[x-woody-x]

Any program is going to have failures, not all investments are profitable, schools aren''t going to graduate every student, not every cancer patient is going to make it and unfortunately not all addicts are going to be cured. But we still educate our kids, we continue to invest, cancer patients still fight and some addicts do kick their addicition. If people actually could see where our tax dollars go, how much of our money is thrown away on useless pork barrel programs or perks they would realize the amount spent here is just a drop in the bucket. How many billions of tax payer''s dollars are unaccounted for in Iraq? I''m not speaking out for or against the war here, I''m just stating that our own government has admitted that it is missing billions of dollars and they can not explain or account for it. And that''s just in Iraq, it seems anytime the GAO conducts an audit on any department anywhere they discover substantial amounts of funds and equipment missing. I think if we had better and more public accountability we could lower our taxes and actually have more money available to fund worthwhile programs like housing, health care and education.

[slim1h2o]

The consensus is that residents of supportive housing should be required to meet certain criteria before throwing money down a bottemless pit. When will Libs learn? Tolerance of anything goes behavior, combined with free money, equals social failure.

Posted by screen_ident at 10:53 AM : Nov 23, 2007

Sounds like that could be said about our failed Education system.
Which, BTW,, I wonder, How much of this Homeless problem,, can be contributed to this failed ED.system? Which can be called a bottomless pit.

[matter77]

This is wonderful, but I just don''t understand what makes this any different from the housing projects and the thinking behind those. Is it because it''s a house and not a highrise? Many suburbs have drug problems and those are all in and out of houses, ordinary houses. Is it the management, the location? The housing projects were considered a success, too, for a while.

[sblake63]

A productive member of society pays rent or a mortgage, goes to work 5 days a week, pays income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes, etc. etc.
Trash gets a free house, free stipend, free food stamps and doesn''''t go to work and is totally unproductive.
Ain''''t America great?


Posted by vancouverboo at 10:32 AM : Nov 23, 2007

________________________

Amen to that. You can bet your last dollar this program is the product of democratic liberal thinking. They cite such a high success rate? I wonder if this program was independantly reviewed, would the success rate be so high - NOT

When liberals make "grand" claims of their programs, it needs to be double checked, triple checked and checked again by outsiders !

[x-woody-x]

I''ve worked for many companies over a 30 year career, my job is to help them save money and become more profitable. The first thing I do is examine every single penny paid out, I go over energy bills, phone bills, garbage contracts, material purchases, service contracts, you name it. One thing that has always amazed me is when I catch a thief, and I''ve caught a lot of them. If the person caught stealing is a rank and file blue collar employee who may have stolen a few hundred dollars the police are called in and that person is prosecuted. If the person caught stealing is a manager, and they may be responisible for stealing tens of thousands of dollars, they are rarely prosecuted and are usually asked to resign so that they can go somewhere else and steal. I think that attitude goes all the way through our society, we tend to punish the lower caste more harshly than we do our "royalty" although the "royals" steal much much more.

Being homeless is not a political issue, but a social issue. Looking at solutions under the umbrella of political affiliation does nothing for millions sleeping on the streets and in shelters each night. Resources need to be centralized into one agency to be able to effectively help the needs of an individual.

As to vancouverboo
""The consensus is that residents of supportive housing should be required to meet certain criteria before throwing money down a bottemless pit. ""

Where would you like to move those individuals that fall through the cracks and are not covered by such criterias, whatever these so called criterias may be? Sounds to me like shifting the problem from one street to the next.

[deemsnyd]

marcodele,

Amen.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by x-woody-x at 11:31 AM : Nov 23, 2007

I agree, but I have to ask. How many did you recommend getting rid of due to illness, to save some money, on Insurance? Not saying you did, but thats how alot of companies work now a days. Ya know, s crew the worker, gotta save that bottom line.

[bigpecker4]

The liberals have taken over.

[radiob-2009]

How do you help those who really do not want help?
Their mouths say one thing and their actions contradict their mouths. You don''t. I have no problem helping others willing (key word) to help themselves but those who continue to play the game of "poor me" and do nothing to help themselves. Too bad.

[sblake63]

The liberals have taken over.


Posted by bigpecker4 at 11:47 AM : Nov 23, 2007

_____________________

Not here in Texas lol. You can keep their anti American, Anti family & Anti God a$$es up north in the sell out blue states LOL.

[rgkntulsa]

Just go to church - and LISTEN!

For those of you who think you earn everything and don''t take handouts, you are taking a lot for granted. No one succeeds without the nuturing of others and the society they live in.

[mo005]

If it works I''m all for it. But something needs to be done for these people. They are our people, Our familys and friends.

[imjustsayin-2009]

Thank God Texas doesn''t speak for America! Thanx to the conservatives that have been in charge for so long, we may all be a little closer to needing the same kind of help this article is talking about. I wonder if your "family values" will finally include some compassion when you find yourselves in the same position?

[sblake63]

Just go to church - and LISTEN!

For those of you who think you earn everything and don''''t take handouts, you are taking a lot for granted. No one succeeds without the nuturing of others and the society they live in.



Posted by rgkntulsa at 12:20 PM : Nov 23, 2007


______________________

Then fine, but NOT with our TAX dollars. I have no problem with churches or private organizations paying for programs like this. I''ll even toss some VOLUNTARY money towards it (but these people need to meet conditions). But keep your blue state socialist hands OUT of my pocket and dont FORCE me to pay for such things via THEFT of tax dollars.!

[rudy654-2009]

I can''t believe anyone would complain about poor people receiving a little bit of help, while not saying one bloody word about the rich corporations feeding off energy bill packages and subsidies that they clearly don''t need and for which you all pay dearly. You need to get your priorities straight. People who complain about the poor are no better than third world thugs who like the status quo.

[imjustsayin-2009]

sblake63-- no one is forcing you to do anything, your tax dollars are the same as anyone else''s here in America; and guess what-- if you needed help these same programs would be there for you. For such an "American loving, family loving, God loving" individual, you certainly seem to have a selfish, hateful nature.

[adasher1]

Not here in Texas lol. You can keep their anti American, Anti family & Anti God a$$es up north in the sell out blue states LOL. Posted by sblake63

I KNEW it would come out. sblake63, go read your bible and tell me where in there is says to NOT help others in need. Your Jesus helped all the poor and sick, right? Your Jesus helped all the lepers, right? Your Jesus healed all the infirm that he came across, right? How can you claim some following of this god, and then tell those that are in need to stay away? You are a fool and you symbolize why so many of us do not believe in your god-***. You and your ilk are hypocrites, you do not follow what your god preaches, yet you go to your hallowed church and give money to them, and for what? A nicer car for the abusive pastor? Another house that he can have a tryst in while his wife is out having her own fun? Money to pay a male prostitute?

Sick, sick, sick. While I might not agree with this program, at least I can say that my thoughts have nothing to do with some misleading ideas of an alleged benevolent religion. The next time you are changing oil over at the Jiffy Lube, think about how close you yourself are to needing help, other then the obvious mental help that you need now.

[sblake63]

Thank God Texas doesn''''t speak for America! Thanx to the conservatives that have been in charge for so long, we may all be a little closer to needing the same kind of help this article is talking about. I wonder if your "family values" will finally include some compassion when you find yourselves in the same position?


Posted by imjustsayin at 12:23 PM : Nov 23, 2007

_______________________

We''ve been in charge for a short time in the grand scheme of the liberal "great society" mess the democrats got us into. Your are ignorant if you think the second Bush took office that every so called entitlement was taken away. Most are alive and well. So "our way" at least for the last 70 years has not been tried.

Your definition of compassion needs some clarification. Taking money from one class of people and UNCONDITIONALLY handing to another is a total failure. Most of us "family values" people donate to organizations that feed the poor, and participate in outreaches that help the poor. If you don''t give them something to believe in, they will NEVER change.

This "everybody is one paycheck away from being homeless" was a buzzword from 1992 election lol. Its bull. Just to be plain legalistic about things, it takes 4-6 months for most landlords to get a court order to evict people. How is it that no matter how bad the economy gets there isn''t a significant rise in the number of homeless? The terror tactic of the democrats is a great one of the greatest lies ever told!