If you wanna know what it looks like to have a city own the utilities and operate them for the public interest, one can look at Medicine Hat, Alberta.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I didn't know anything about this place, but being Alberta I had assumed that this would be a negative portrayal of government.

I was pleasantly surprised:

In 2021, Medicine Hat became the first city in Canada to achieve "functional zero" chronic homelessness, defined as three consecutive months where three or fewer individuals experienced chronic homelessness. They were able to achieve this due to their adoption of a Housing First policy to combat homelessness beginning in 2009.[13]

The entire nation of Finland is another great example of the government essentially eliminating homelessness (and in the process, creating super affordable public housing that isn't garbage).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The entire nation of Finland is another great example of the government essentially eliminating homelessness (and in the process, creating super affordable public housing that isn't garbage).

USSR. While it lasted.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The old Soviet builds are pretty Spartan. In fairness they're like 60 years old now, but yikes.

But, even at that, still a hell of a lot better than being homeless.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

The old Soviet builds are pretty Spartan. In fairness they're like 60 years old now, but yikes.

Depends how old. Brezhnevkas have normal kitchen. Which, comparing to modern humant colonies, are big.

But, even at that, still a hell of a lot better than being homeless.

Absolutely.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Worth bearing in mind the very spartan Soviet blocks were incredible luxury compared to the homes people moved out of. For all of the torture, disappearing, political killing, forced labor, etc. that happened under Stalin, he at least got housing pretty well sorted for the people

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

he at least got housing pretty well sorted for the people

No, stalinkas were time consuming and expensive in construction. Real mass housing started during Khruschev and lasted until the end of USSR.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

What if my hat is already full of things that aren't medicine?