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Measure H is a strategy used to address homelessness in Los Angeles County. People in L.A County voted on the use of measure H initiative to improve housing services, prevent and combat the homeless situation in the county as well as providing safe housing to the low-income earners. Let’s look at the pros and cons to help you understand more on measure H initiative.
Pros:
1. Raising revenue: Measure H aims at raising revenue through a sales tax to provide services to the homeless. The strategy help in raising funds to provide support services to the disadvantaged people in the city.
2. End street life: There are over 47000 men, women and children on the streets and the proposal will help combat the situation by reducing street life.
3. Improved services: The money raised through taxes is used to improve mental health, healthcare, control substance abuse, job training, and other prevention measures. It will help boost the general health of everyone in the county.
4. Expand housing opportunities: Through the project, there will be over 10 000 housing units which aimed in providing shelter to the homeless and prevent more people from becoming homeless.
5. Reduce future homelessness: Providing shelter for the people is essential but providing shelter without other supporting services will make the people end-up back into the streets.
6. Broad-based approach: Measure H not only look at the housing schemes for the homeless but also offer support in other areas like healthcare, education, and reduce drug abuse among others.
7. Financing assistance: It proves financial assistance to the low and moderate income earners who want to become homeowners. They will be able to get house loans at low-interest rates to enable them to own a house.
8. Affordable services: It aims at providing secure, decent and affordable rental housing services to low-income earners, provide homes to those in danger of being homeless like the battered women and the disabled.
Cons:
1. Expensive: Houses constructed at the city center may be very expensive to acquire due to opportunism by some housing authorities and politicians.
2. Increase standards of living: Higher taxes make homes and other basic commodities less affordable. More money will go to taxes and people will be left with less money to cater for their needs.
3. Wastage: Homeless and charity organizations receive a lot of donor money to support the homeless but don’t spend it will. The organizations also let the homeless get out of them.
4. Increased sales tax: To fund the homelessness project, more money is needed and this will lead to increased sales tax by one-quarter.
5. Not enough: The 10 000 housing units is only a fourth of what is required to house the homeless in LA County. Homeless will still continue to be a problem in the county even after implementation of the plan.
6. Lack of accountability: It is difficult to account how the money is spent. A lot of homeless organizations gets money but they don’t spend it well or account for any cent used in providing support services. Some officials may end-up pocketing the money raised.
7. Tax burden: Measure H puts tax burden to the poor in the county since the approval of county taxes require everyone to contribute those who are least able to pay since sales tax is a regressive tax.
8. Poor implementation: Implementing measure H at the county level is more complicated and cannot easily deal with the problems affecting the county at large. The strategy is better implemented at the local level.
