Unfair Representation

On April 7, Carlos Mendoza wrote an article discussing the unfair representation of the Texas Legislature. His position is solid and one that’s hard to argue with. He starts with the most important piece of information to be considered: white Texans are rapidly falling from their position as the majority in the state. Hispanics are closing the gap and will soon become the plurality. Mendoza’s example of the recent Planned Parenthood cases is a perfect way to further convince his audience of unfair representation. The best interests of women and minorities are not going to be adequately considered, or even understood, by a group of wealthy, highly educated, white men.

Now how can we fix this problem? Mendoza points out that the true flaw is in the way the system is set up – which is to fail us. Even if we can get a more diverse group of people educated on and interested in becoming local politicians in order to better the state, how can the average person afford to take 140 days off of their daily lives and work schedules in order to attend the legislative sessions? They can’t. And that’s why, as Mendoza puts it, we have a Legislature composed of rich people representing the rich people of Texas.

Again, the article is hard to find a flaw in. His arguments are straightforward and backed up with enough evidence to show this is a real issue. The only critique I can come up with is he could have concluded with suggesting a way to change the structure and how the legislature is run so that average citizens have a chance in participating in their local government proceedings and decision-making. 

Ending Homelessness

Providing services for the homeless population in our state costs the taxpayers millions of dollars per year. When you consider the costs of hospitalization, medical treatment, incarceration, shelter expenses, and police interventions, the numbers add up quickly. The people who are homeless often suffer from diseases and disabilities that require long-term care. Without the stability of a home, their problems only get worse, further inhibiting them from any chances of getting healthy and making a better life for themselves. These people are also spending much time in jail or prison for violating laws such as sleeping in cars, begging, etc. The National Alliance to End Homelessness provides some shocking statistics and studies done on these costs. A survey done by the University of Texas revealed that “each person cost the taxpayers $14,480 per year, primarily for overnight jail. A typical cost of a prison bed in a state or federal prison is $20,000 per year."

So basically, not only are these people suffering in poverty, but those who are not homeless are being affected as well, paying for their care with our taxes. It would be one thing if the care they received were to help them move on from this stage in their life and get them closer to a better life. Sadly, that is not the case. For many of these individuals, it is a continuous cycle of sleeping on the streets, getting thrown in and out of jail, and racking up high emergency room/medical bills that only push them further down the abyss of homelessness.

In recent years, though, there have been some privately funded projects working to help end this issue. Alan Graham, The CEO of the Austin- based Mobile Loaves and Fishes, has funded a non-profit organization called Community First! that is based off the Housing First model and aims to end homelessness. Community First! builds a community of “tiny homes” in which homeless people can rent (for as low as $220 per month). The community is like its own little village, with movie theaters, restaurants, art galleries and more, that are open to the public and also provide job opportunities for the residents. These communities have been seeing enormous success in each city they have set up in. Graham estimates that the city of Austin alone spends about $40,000 per homeless person every year. He believes that the Community First! in Austin will save taxpayers up to $3 million per year. A study from Los Angeles, CA. (which has one of the highest homeless populations in the country) followed four chronically homeless people and found that placing them into permanent supportive housing saved the city over $80,000 per year:

“After two years in permanent housing, which included access to mental and physical health and education classes, investigators observed increased stability and improved quality of life for all four participants.

During the study time period, only one individual visited the emergency room and none entered the criminal justice system. The only area where costs increased was mental health, which is a positive finding because people who use community mental health resources are less likely to use the hospital emergency room.”

All of these experiments with placing homeless in permanent housing have saved the government thousands of dollars. Yet, they are being run by private people/organizations. What if the government pitched in? What if the state of Texas partnered with people like Alan Graham and committed to financing the placement of homeless individuals into permanent housing, or building more communities like the ones Graham has established? Michael Cousinea, who led the Los Angeles study said that “government financing of supportive housing is a wise public investment. It saves taxpayer dollars and makes important contributions to solving homelessness." A solution to end homelessness has already been found. And its isn't some complicated formula that needs to be worked out, it is actually an attainable goal if the right actions are taken.  Yet, as of now, it seems that the local government is not doing enough to save the taxpayers’ money and save the citizens of it’s city who are struggling every day to survive.