Virtually every major economy on the planet practices redistribution on some scale. That’s what taxes do. Pointing to communist states to say that redistribution of wealth doesn’t work is like pointing to the Nova or the Edsel to say that automobiles don’t work.
And the whole Marx/Communism thing you guys love to harp on is just like what you’re saying trickle down economics is - a politically motivated strawman. Yes, certain liberal ideas are represented in some of the things Marx said, but outside of academia, you’ll be hard pressed to find many prominent liberals pointing to Marx to back up or justify their ideas. You act like showing Marx to be wrong about something is showing the left to be wrong about everything.
Meanwhile are you willing to elucidate a little more the connection between rent control and homelessness? Because i don’t see it based on what you’ve said.