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A leading economic think tank is estimating it would cost about $12-billion to solve Bay Area homelessness. The Bay Area Council’s 54-page report released Thursday is the first to put a number to a comprehensive solution for the entire nine-county region. The Council estimates the roughly 35,000 homeless people in the region could be sheltered in a combination of prefabricated structures and existing buildings for just over $9 billion. Annual maintenance would cost another $2.5 billion. Governor Newsom and the legislature have debated statewide budgets ranging from $12 to 20-billion. The study authors say it’s intended to start an honest conversation.