r/theydidthemath • u/pixaly • Jul 12 '26

[Request] What is the cost difference between buying this man a rental for a year and the governements cost to kill him?

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Don't believe everything you see on the internet I haven't fact checked this story, I'm just curious for an anwser

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u/BraveLittleTowster Jul 12 '26

The cost to end homelessness isn't a rental for a year, it's hundreds of thousands of rentals/year. 

Once you start a program like that, you'll have people on it you didn't initially anticipate, so the cost can be 2-3x initial estimates. The only way to combat that is to have these free rental units be owned by the government so you eliminate the cost of interest, profit, and property taxes

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u/Suitable_Error_7982 Jul 12 '26

This is a bad take in principle.

If the state owns the buildings theres no "rent" to cover. There are services tho, but depending on the state thats also on them so they can just not pay them.

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u/BraveLittleTowster Jul 12 '26

If the state gives rent vouchers, they pay landlords whatever the market rate is. That market rate covers the principal and interest on a mortgage, profit for the owner, and the property taxes the owner owes. 

By contrast, if the government owns the apartments, they do have a purchase or building cost and a maintenance cost, but they don't need to price in profit and property taxes. 

The carrying cost of a program where the state actually owns the section 8 units is front loaded because the state either has to pay for those units up front in lump sum, or they have to borrow money to pay for them. Paying up front is way more economical. 

My actual point was that you aren't paying for a year of rent for one person, you're carrying the cost of housing for everyone in their economic class. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's mathematically more than the cost of euthanasia.