While visiting this summer, I noticed that I was not seeing homeless people in Madrid. So, I did some checking as to why this might be different than my home state. California has over 160,000 people who are homeless. Spain has less than 30,000, despite having over 8 million more people in total. Here is an article that provides nine reasons this is the case in Spain: https://lnkd.in/gtTMyKch.

 
Among the reasons is a law passed in 1978 that grants a right to decent shelter to all of its citizens. Some of the other reasons are less noble, but in Spain housing for most residents amounts to 20% of their income. In California, it is over 50% for many, especially if they are young. How did California get it so wrong? Clearly California policies over the past 40 years have led to this terrible problem. I believe a lack of affordable housing is the number one problem in California.
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#affordablehousing #affordablehomes #affordableliving #architecture#architecture #spain #california #homelessness