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Re:Solve Homelessness: Cut Out The Middle Man by zackblum on Friday February 18, 2011 @12:25AM (#2234346)
"Some estimates suggest the state spends £26,000 annually on each homeless person in health, police and prison bills."

So £26,000 vs. £794. I'd like to see this replicated.

Re:Solve Homelessness: Cut Out The Middle Man by nika on Friday February 18, 2011 @01:01AM (#2234429)
That's about $1,300. Or about $7.50 an hour for one month. This is about minimum wage. If they could get minimum wage jobs, they would, and they'd quickly not be homeless.

But they can't because students and recent graduates and stay at home moms, etc, get the minimum wage jobs.

If we eliminated the minimum wage, then all the jobs that need doing, but whose economic value is $2.75 an hour would come into being. This means that the homeless person would be able to earn that $1,300 in two months. If low cost housing were legalized, they'd be able to live cheaply while getting on their feet and saving for getting a better job.

Minimum wage is the idea that we'd rather have someone homeless and not working at $0 an hour than have them have a home and be digging themselves out working for $2.50 an hour.

Re:Solve Homelessness: Cut Out The Middle Man by angus77 on Friday February 18, 2011 @01:48AM (#2234540)
And if we removed all the oppressive health and safety rules from the heads of the poor landlords, we'd have apartments that someone could afford to live in when they make $1300 a month!
Re:Solve Homelessness: Cut Out The Middle Man by eru on Friday February 18, 2011 @08:18AM (#2235269)
Germany does not have a minimum wage (in general), but there are still homeless people.

I don't agree with minimum wage. But there are other barriers to full employment, too.