Homelessness

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California governor vows to take away funding from cities and counties for not clearing encampments

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday had a message for local governments: clean up homeless encampments now or lose out on state funding next year.

https://apnews.com/article/california-gavin-newsom-homeless-sweeps-funding-bdaf5719847e11daf8cca06c62737994?

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Everyone agrees there’s a homeless crisis in the US. But plans to address it vary among mayoral candidates Homelessness is at the top of the agenda for candidates in mayoral races across the U.S. But they differ on whether it's OK to clear encampments and how much to rely on temporary housing. Read more.

Key points: In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed is facing serious challenges from four other Democrats in the November election. The opponents say she hasn’t handled the crisis effectively, but they also don’t agree on a strategy. It’s a similar story in other big U.S. cities electing mayors this year.   Most of the issues are in the West, where a long-running homelessness crisis was spurred by high housing costs and deepened during the coronavirus pandemic. A 2023 count found there were 653,000 people experiencing homelessness across the country, an increase of 63,000 from a decade earlier. For many people who are housed it has become a quality-of-life concern, which has made it a prime political issue.   Most of the big-city mayors and candidates — nearly all Democrats — say that more affordable housing and additional services for people experiencing homelessness are needed. The heart of the debate, as in San Francisco, is whether it’s acceptable to force people off the streets.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Oregon city at heart of Supreme Court homelessness ruling votes to ban camping except in some areas   Tiny homes, built largely with philanthropic support, offer more patch than solution to homelessness   A charity working with homeless people in New Zealand distributes candy made from a potentially lethal amount of methamphetamine

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As San Diego homelessness spending tops $230M, budget experts call for comprehensive plan, transparency

With San Diego set to spend tens of millions of dollars more on homelessness this year than last, the city needs a more comprehensive spending plan so the public can better monitor its success, budget experts said in a new report.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/08/20/as-san-diego-homelessness-spending-tops-230m-budget-experts-call-for-comprehensive-plan-transparency/?

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Vermont caps emergency motel housing for homeless, forcing many to leave this month

BERLIN, Vt. (AP) — This fall, hundreds of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in Vermont must leave state-funded motel rooms where they’ve been living as the state winds down its pandemic-era motel voucher program. The move is prompting outcry from municipal leaders and advocates who say many don’t have a place to go.

https://apnews.com/article/homelessness-vermont-motels-31da28d4e53a4157005056894a34c07d?

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Florida enacts tough law to get homeless off the streets, leaving cities and counties scrambling

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — As the sun rose Tuesday, Robert Robinson pulled himself from the sidewalk outside Fort Lauderdale’s bus depot. It’s where he’d slept — and become a violator of Florida’s newest law.

https://apnews.com/article/florida-homeless-ban-poverty-a70d27efb0ec5f41bfb3d6c2facc8f84?

ps:Mark my words, mini trump will claim in his bid to run for governor again, "I got rid of homelessness!!"

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US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/homelessness-population-count-2024-hud-migrants-2e0e2b4503b754612a1d0b3b73abf75f?

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New data: Record homelessness

Data: HUD. (Excludes 2021 because of COVID-related disruptions to the count.) Chart: Axios Visuals U.S. homelessness increased 18% this year, with children being the age group that experienced the largest increase, Axios' April Rubin and Russell Contreras write from new federal data. Homelessness among nearly all populations reached record levels this year. But some exacerbating factors have receded since the January survey, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said. 🧮 By the numbers: More than 770,000 people were homeless on a single night in January 2024, per the point-in-time survey. That included nearly 150,000 children, reflecting a 33% increase over 2023. Black people were 32% of the homeless population, despite making up 12% of the total U.S. population. That's down from 37% in 2023. Veterans reported continued declines in homelessness, down 8%. 💡 Context: The migrant crisis, wildfires on Maui that displaced thousands, and rising rents contributed to the stark rise. "This report reflects data collected a year ago and likely does not represent current circumstances, given changed policies and conditions," HUD said. The survey was taken at the end of significant rental cost increases. Since then, rents have flattened or decreased, including on Maui. Explore the data ... Keep reading.

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Homelessness

City and state officials in parts of the US are uncertain how to respond to a surge in homelessness and encampments that have cropped up under bridges and in parks. Meanwhile, people who live in those encampments and advocacy groups say they are alarmed by efforts to criminalize the population rather than build shelters and affordable housing. This week, the city council in Fremont, California, voted to criminalize "aiding" and "abetting" homeless camps — an unusual move that advocates say could stifle help for people who need it. The new policy comes about seven months after the Supreme Court ruled that ticketing homeless people does not constitute "cruel and unusual punishment."

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Scott Maxwell: Orlando Health, neighbors helped kill homeless shelter. What now?

Today we’re going to address a proposal to do away with property taxes in Florida and look at a months-long quest to find out how much public money the governor spent fighting last fall’s abortion and marijuana amendments.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/03/12/scott-maxwell-orlando-health-neighbors-helped-kill-homeless-shelter-what-now/?

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A New Jersey church wanted to build a homeless shelter. Now the town might take its property

(RNS) — The mayor of Toms River, New Jersey, says he has a plan to revitalize the town’s riverfront and to create a new park for local families who live nearby. He’s found the perfect spot— three underused marinas and a large parcel of land with a great parking lot.

https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-episcopal-church-homeless-shelter-558f2bf594b3b6b0a587143933dae814?

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Winter Park Police try to help homeless one person at a time

Winter Park Police officers Kyle Liquori and Rick Thomas made their way on foot on a recent afternoon to a weed-infested alcove tucked under the Rev. Kenneth C. Crossman railway bridge over U.S. 17-92.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/06/09/winter-park-police-try-to-help-homeless-one-person-at-a-time/?

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Sleeper buses for the homeless? Apopka approves mobile shelter program

A nonprofit group is offering shelters on wheels as a first step in addressing homelessness, and Apopka, Orange County’s second-largest city, wants in.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/06/19/sleeper-buses-for-the-homeless-apopka-approves-mobile-shelter-program/?

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Her Family Needed Housing. They Spent Months in New York Hotels, Left to Fend for Themselves.

Jasmine Stradford sat on her porch near Binghamton, New York, with toys, furniture, garbage bags full of clothing and other possessions piled up around her. She and her partner were being evicted after falling behind on rent.

https://www.propublica.org/article/new-york-homelessness-hotels?

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These 5 Charts Show How Hotels Became New York’s Response to Homelessness

Hotels have long been considered a last resort for sheltering people who’ve lost their housing. But over the past few years, they’ve become New York’s predominant response to homelessness outside New York City, a recent investigation by New York Focus and ProPublica found.

https://www.propublica.org/article/new-york-homelessness-hotels-five-charts?