Homelessness

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L.A.'s state of emergency on homelessness: How a street medicine team is treating patients in a unique way

Healthcare In Action, a mobile unit with nurses, doctors and a therapist, are helping dozens of unhoused patients get back on their feet. Here's how.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/in-depth/life/humankind/2023/01/13/how-these-health-workers-fighting-homelessness-care/10887744002/?

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Oregon bill would decriminalize homeless encampments and propose penalties if unhoused people are harassed or ordered to leave

Democrats in the Oregon House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would decriminalize homeless encampments in public places and allow homeless people to sue for $1,000 if harassed or told to leave.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/28/us/oregon-homeless-camp-bill/index.html?

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Anchorage mayor wants to give homeless people a one-way ticket to warm climates before Alaska winter

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An unfunded proposal by Anchorage’s mayor to pay for plane tickets to warmer climates for homeless people who would otherwise be forced to winter outside in the bitter cold has caused a stir in Alaska’s biggest city.

https://apnews.com/article/anchorage-alaska-homeless-plane-ticket-7e0d5a58d37318623282d8e093eec54f?

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Tensions high in San Francisco as city seeks reversal of ban on clearing homeless encampments

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tensions flared Wednesday as lawyers for San Francisco argued in appellate court that the city can no longer maintain safe, clean streets while trying to get homeless people indoors after a federal judge banned the city from clearing tent encampments until there are more shelter beds than homeless individuals.

https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-homeless-tent-encampments-9th-circuit-d618db8fdbd8cefcfe4a1ff50c122987?

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Cities crack down on homeless encampments. Advocates say that’s not the answer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Tossing tent poles, blankets and a duffel bag into a shopping cart and three wagons, Will Taylor spent a summer morning helping friends tear down what had been their home and that of about a dozen others. It wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last.

https://apnews.com/article/homelessness-encampment-sweeps-cities-08ff74489ba00cfa927fe1cf54c0d401?

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Are FL homeless programs working or not? Top lawmaker asks about a ‘return on investment’

The chair of a legislative committee that oversees spending on homeless programs in Florida says he wants to know if the “substantial amount of taxpayer dollars” the state devotes to those programs are providing a worthwhile return on investment.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/12/07/are-fl-homeless-programs-working-or-not-top-lawmaker-asks-about-a-return-on-investment/?

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As homelessness rises, Orlando may invest $6 million in Christian Service Center renovation

Orlando city commissioners are being asked to OK funding for a renovation to the Christian Service Center, which would add indoor showers, mailboxes, laundry, charging stations and a long-sought comprehensive day center, creating a one-of-a-kind support facility focused on fast-tracking unsheltered people into housing.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/12/08/as-homelessness-rises-orlando-may-invest-6-million-in-christian-service-center-renovation/?

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Homelessness in the U.S. jumped to record level in 2023, government says

U.S. homelessness reached a record high in 2023, according to data the federal government released Friday.

https://www.axios.com/2023/12/15/homelessness-increase-rent-crisis-2023?

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GOP lawmaker touts a ‘carrot and stick’ approach to dealing with the homeless in FL

Clay County GOP Rep. Sam Garrison says he’s advocating for a bill to address the homeless situation in Florida because he doesn’t want the state to become like California.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/01/25/gop-lawmaker-touts-a-carrot-and-stick-approach-to-dealing-with-the-homeless-in-fl/?

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How one state is tackling homelessness by turning abandoned buildings into shelters

Nina Jarl never thought she would be homeless.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/oregon-tackling-homelessness-abandoned-buildings-shelters/story?

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Some worry California proposition to tackle homelessness would worsen the problem

OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging voters to approve a ballot initiative that he says is needed to tackle the state’s homelessness crisis, a change social providers say would threaten programs that keep people from becoming homeless in the first place.

https://apnews.com/article/california-homelessness-initiative-mental-health-3e6765a30343f7cc0147efd40f5a2f2f?

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Declares War on Homelessness- “We Won’t Let Florida Become San Francisco”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has launched a scathing critique of California’s approach to homelessness, vowing not to allow Florida to replicate the crisis seen in cities like San Francisco.

https://fosterfollynews.net/2024/02/25/florida-governor-ron-desantis-declares-war-on-homelessness-we-wont-let-florida-become-san-francisco/

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As Florida advances camping ban, Orlando’s homeless ask, ‘Where are we supposed to go?’

As Florida officials move to ban people from sleeping on public property, Peter Roberts wonders where he’ll be forced to go.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/02/as-florida-advances-camping-ban-orlandos-homeless-ask-where-are-we-supposed-to-go/?

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Florida’s latest homelessness scheme fails the people it purports to help

During the current legislative session, Gov. Ron DeSantis and some members of the Florida Legislature have put forward bills and proposals or expressed support for approaches they assert will strike a blow against homelessness.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/03/03/floridas-latest-homelessness-scheme-fails-the-people-it-purports-to-help/?

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A major homelessness case will be going to the U.S. Supreme Court Momentum is building in a case regarding homeless encampments that will be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court next month and could have major implications for cities as homelessness nationwide has reached record highs. Read more.

Why this matters: The U.S. experienced a dramatic 12% increase in homelessness last year to its highest reported level, a federal report found. About 653,000 people were homeless in the January 2023 count, the most since the country began using the yearly point-in-time survey in 2007.   More than half the people experiencing homelessness in the country were in four states: California, Washington, New York and Florida. About 28% of the nation’s homeless are estimated to be in California alone, according to the report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Florida set to ban homeless from sleeping on public property   Georgia bill would punish cities and counties that break law against ‘sanctuary’ for immigrants   Californians to vote on measure governor says he needs to tackle homelessness crisis

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Update: Disney Exposes Homeless Employees to DeSantis’ New Illegal Policy, Reports Weigh In

Lots of controversy has surrounded Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ new homeless bill, which essentially now bans homeless Floridians from sleeping on the streets or in an undesignated area. The discussion around the bill has now pulled in Disney, as cast members who reportedly sleep in their car, and there are many, will also be affected.

https://insidethemagic.net/2024/03/ron-desantis-new-illegal-homeless-policy-cast-members-affected-ad1mmb/

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Can homeless people be fined for sleeping outside? A rural Oregon city asks the US Supreme Court

A fierce fight over park space in the Oregon mountain town of Grants Pass has become a battleground for a much larger, national debate on homelessness that has reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Read more.

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Woman was living inside rooftop grocery store sign with computer and coffee maker for a year

Contractors curious about an extension cord on the roof of a Michigan grocery store made a startling discovery: A 34-year-old woman was living inside the business sign, with enough space for a computer, printer and coffee maker, police said.

https://apnews.com/article/michigan-store-rooftop-sign-homeless-0185c0d7e4cd7a2f8581e8b8e0eb01b7?

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Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy

The city has violated a court order and its own policies by discarding the personal property of thousands of homeless people, who have lost medications, birth certificates, IDs, treasured family photos and the ashes of loved ones.

https://www.propublica.org/article/albuquerque-homeless-encampments?

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In Orlando, $350K moved 250 people off the streets

For four years, Vanessa Artis and her two adult children slept on the sidewalks of Parramore, hoping for a bed of their own.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/05/20/in-orlando-350k-moved-250-people-off-the-streets/?

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Micro communities for the homeless sprout in US cities eager for small, quick and cheap solutions

ATLANTA (AP) — In a dreary part of downtown Atlanta, shipping containers have been transformed into an oasis for dozens of previously unsheltered people who now proudly call a former parking lot home.

https://apnews.com/article/micro-communities-shipping-container-atlanta-denver-homelessness-63f675d418bd1af6da74f26f4c320324?

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Newsom orders homeless camps cleared following Supreme Court ruling

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday directing state agencies to clear homeless camps, and urging cities to do the same.

https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2024/07/25/california-homeless-population-gavin-newsom-law?

Newsom orders California state agencies to start clearing homeless encampments

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state agencies Thursday to start removing homeless encampments on state land in his boldest action yet following a Supreme Court ruling allowing cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces.

https://apnews.com/article/california-homeless-encampment-newsom-7d4478801de6e9f8a708c7c7c6ef3e5f?

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Homeless encampments

 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday directing officials in the state to start removing homeless encampments. The order calls on state officials "to adopt humane and dignified policies to urgently address encampments on state property" — but homeless advocates are expressing concern over the order's potential impact as thousands of people remain on a waitlist for state-funded housing. California has the largest homeless population in the nation, with more than 180,000 of the estimated 653,000 people experiencing homelessness nationwide residing in the Golden State, according to a 2023 report to Congress from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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They bathe and house Orlando’s homeless, but they’re running out of money | Commentary

A few years ago, SALT Outreach was a salvation for Central Florida and swimming in money.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/07/25/salt-orlando-camarillo-scott-maxwell/?

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Church sues Colorado town to be able to shelter homeless people in trailers, calling it work ‘mandated by God’ Last year, the town of Castle Rock ordered a non-denominational evangelical church to stop providing homeless people shelter in RVs and other camping trailers, saying that doing so violates zoning regulations. The church responded by suing the town. Echoing arguments made by other churches trying to serve the homeless from Oregon to Ohio, the Colorado church argues that helping those in need is a religious activity protected by the Constitution. Read more.

Key points: The lawsuit is studded with references to the Bible’s exhortations to the faithful to take care of those in need. It also notes that surrounding Douglas County, one of the richest in the United States, has no other shelters for the homeless. The lawsuit is based on both the church’s religious freedom under the First Amendment and a federal law intended to protect places of worship from being discriminated against in zoning decisions.   The church’s property is not zoned for residential use and regulations forbid anyone from living in an RV anywhere in Castle Rock. In court, the town has argued the church could find other ways to help the homeless, like opening members’ homes to them or buying a property to house them in an area zoned for residential use.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Some cities facing homelessness crisis applaud Supreme Court decision, while others push back   Record numbers in the US are homeless. Can cities fine them for sleeping in parks and on sidewalks?   A pastor and a small Ohio city tussle over the legality of his 24/7 homeless ministry