Back in July last year, there was something of a big whoopdedoo over finally opening some housing around here for homeless vets.
I had a problem with it.
Not that there was housing for homeless vets... but the cost of that housing.
A 50 bed unit at the unbelievable, indefensible, astronomical cost of $13 million.
That, as the rag pointed out, was $260,000 PER SINGLE BED UNIT.
They also went on to point out at the time that the median cost of a 3 bedroom 2 bath house was $275,000.
( http://www.columbian.com/…/housing-homeless-disabled-vets-…/ )
What's wrong with that picture?
Some of the more ignorant around here took offense at my objection, making all kinds of excuses for the outrageous sum needed to provide housing for 50 when money was available for 3 times that many.
I was "wrong." Many of these vets had "special needs" and it HAD to cost this much I was told.
Which was, of course, a crock.
So, here we are some 9 months or so later, and I stumble across THIS little nugget of information:
How is this remotely possible?
How is it that the best we can do for our homeless vets up here is 50 units... when for roughly the same money, San Diego manages a paltry 122 MORE units than that?
How?
I'm reminded of a ball park... You remember it, don't you? The geniuses shilling for the Yakima Bears tried to scam us for a stadium here at Clark College that WE were going to pay for by taxes on movie tickets and such instead of having those who used it pay for it.
The citizens of this county were going to get scammed for a 3000 seat stadium for a mere $22.7 million... and somehow, those podunk small town hicks in Hillsboro managed to get a 4500 seat stadium built for, oh, $10 million LESS... with NO taxes.
As a community, are our government agencies and leadership just stupid? Is it the water?
I had a problem with it.
Not that there was housing for homeless vets... but the cost of that housing.
A 50 bed unit at the unbelievable, indefensible, astronomical cost of $13 million.
That, as the rag pointed out, was $260,000 PER SINGLE BED UNIT.
They also went on to point out at the time that the median cost of a 3 bedroom 2 bath house was $275,000.
( http://www.columbian.com/…/housing-homeless-disabled-vets-…/ )
What's wrong with that picture?
Some of the more ignorant around here took offense at my objection, making all kinds of excuses for the outrageous sum needed to provide housing for 50 when money was available for 3 times that many.
I was "wrong." Many of these vets had "special needs" and it HAD to cost this much I was told.
Which was, of course, a crock.
So, here we are some 9 months or so later, and I stumble across THIS little nugget of information:
How is this remotely possible?
How is it that the best we can do for our homeless vets up here is 50 units... when for roughly the same money, San Diego manages a paltry 122 MORE units than that?
How?
I'm reminded of a ball park... You remember it, don't you? The geniuses shilling for the Yakima Bears tried to scam us for a stadium here at Clark College that WE were going to pay for by taxes on movie tickets and such instead of having those who used it pay for it.
The citizens of this county were going to get scammed for a 3000 seat stadium for a mere $22.7 million... and somehow, those podunk small town hicks in Hillsboro managed to get a 4500 seat stadium built for, oh, $10 million LESS... with NO taxes.
As a community, are our government agencies and leadership just stupid? Is it the water?
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