UCSF Benioff Homelessness & Housing Initiative

Today, the Supreme Court ruled that cities may arrest and fine people for resting outside, even when they have nowhere else to go. This devastating decision goes against the data on how best to end homelessness. Housing solves homelessness – fines and jails do not. These punitive measures make a bad situation worse, by harming people and making it even more difficult for them to access housing in the future.   "America is experiencing the most profound housing crisis it has had in decades, which has left too many people without the safety and security of home," says Dr. Margot Kushel MD. "Federal and state policymakers must make the difficult choices necessary to solve our housing crisis." State and local governments can lead the way in solving the homelessness crisis by investing in proven solutions. Here's how: ➡ increase access to affordable housing for extremely low-income households ➡ expand targeted homelessness prevention ➡ provide support to match the behavioral health needs of the population ➡ increase household incomes "We know that the American people want the homelessness crisis solved and we know that only access to affordable housing for everyone will do that. Today, the Supreme Court has moved us toward a future where people can be arrested for sleeping." Read Dr. Kushel's full statement: https://lnkd.in/g6gzZJja

Intimate partner violence both contributes to homelessness and impedes survivors’ ability to return to housing.. A new study by Dr. Anita Hargrave MD, MAS; Dr. Kelly R. Knight, PhD; Zena Dhatt; Grace Taylor Taylor; Dez Martinez, and Dr. Margot Kushel MD proposes: ➡️ Expand survivor-centered services that improve access to long-term subsidized housing; ➡️ Prevent IPV and homelessness with flexible funding options; ➡️ Facilitate rapid exits from homelessness through trauma-informed, non-congregate shelter that transitions to permanent housing. Read the study: https://lnkd.in/gya_M9-k Explore additional data and solutions: https://lnkd.in/gSbe4k2i #PublicHealth #HomelessnessAwareness

“I would say that tiny homes are an absolutely important part of the ecosystem, but they are not housing,” says BHHI Director Dr. Margot Kushel MD. Temporary housing (shelters, tiny homes, motels, etc.) are important because they often provide safety people can't find on the streets. But, we can't solve homelessness without enough permanent housing. Here's why: 1️⃣ More and more people enter homelessness every day. If those in temporary housing can't move into permanent housing quickly, our temporary housing systems will continue to be overwhelmed. 2️⃣ Permanent housing provides the stability people need to stay well. Everyone benefits from having a stable foundation, and it's absolutely critical for those with chronic health conditions and complex behavioral health needs. 🏡 More evidence-based solutions to homelessness: https://lnkd.in/gEm44RVT https://lnkd.in/gJmrKqBe

Decades of experience show that pregnant individuals who use drugs want healthy babies, but fear of discrimination and criminalization can deter them from accessing necessary care. To support healthy pregnancies, we must replace punitive approaches with non-stigmatizing, science-based healthcare environments. BHHI Associate Director Dr. Morgan Philbin and Columbia University postdoc Emilie Bruzelius explain in Ms. Magazine. #healthequity #PWUD

Join us for a crucial discussion on the intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and homelessness. This webinar, hosted by the The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) in partnership with the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, will provide an in-depth look at evidence-based solutions and recommendations that can help end homelessness among IPV survivors. 📅 Date: July 18, 2024 | 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET Presenters include: ➡️ Dr. Anita Hargrave MD, MAS, Lead CASPEH Researcher & BHHI Faculty. ➡️ Jesica Gianola (Jesica G.), BHHI Advisory Board member with lived IPV and homelessness expertise. ➡️ Dez Martinez, BHHI Advisory Board member with lived IPV and homelessness expertise. ➡️ Karlo Ng, Director on Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Equity, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ➡️ Debbie Chang, MPH, President and CEO of Blue Shield of California Foundation. ➡️ Sharon McDonald, Senior Advisor, National Alliance to End Homelessness. ➡️ Dfox, Deputy Director Housing Policy and Practice, National Network to End Domestic Violence. Moderated by: ➡️ Jennifer Willover, Housing Policy Analyst, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence ➡️ Dr. Kara Young Ponder, PhD, BHHI Director of Stakeholder Engagement and Racial Justice Learn more about CASPEH research findings: • Statewide data https://lnkd.in/gEm44RVT • IPV-specific data https://lnkd.in/gSbe4k2i 🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/ghFUjs96

Our team is excited to see everyone at the National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference this week! Here's when you can catch our panels: July 9 | 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM EST Marc Dones, BHHI's Policy Director will share Homekey recommendations based on findings from our #CAHomelessnessStudy. July 9 | 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM EST Dr. Kara Young Ponder, PhD, BHHI's Community Engagement & Racial Justice Director, will discuss the challenges and barriers faced by Black Americans experiencing homelessness and evidence-based recommendations that can help inform solutions. https://lnkd.in/gV7CDaNB

As a result of multi-level stigma and discrimination 30-40% of all homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+, says BHHI Associate Director Dr. Morgan Philbin. "The irony is, we know how to support unhoused LGBTQ+ youth—we simply need the will and funding to do it." https://lnkd.in/eJJGaxxj #homelessyouth #housingjustice #LGBTQ+

The #GrantsPass ruling “is going to significantly worsen the challenges that people face in regaining housing,” says Dr. Margot Kushel MD "And it is not going to get us any closer to the solution that everyone in San Francisco wants.” Immediate responses to homelessness, such as criminalization and forced displacements make homelessness worse, by traumatizing people and making it harder for them to regain housing. We know how to solve homelessness. It’s time to redirect resources from ineffective methods to evidence-based solutions that consistently work. ➡️ Discover how the Veterans Administration and Santa Clara County successfully reduced homelessness with Housing First strategies: https://lnkd.in/gvrm5cUb ➡️ Learn how Denver's evidence-based encampment resolution strategies have helped move 1,600 people indoors: https://lnkd.in/g2GJxGxC https://lnkd.in/gnZKu-jV

Mayor Karen Bass points to LA's housing-led decrease in homelessness as proof that arresting people for being homeless was a “failed response. The recent drop in homelessness in Los Angeles "shows some signs of progress, or at least, bending the curve,” says BHHI Director Dr. Margot Kushel MD. “We’re beginning to do the right things, but we’re not doing them at scale.” Continued investments into evidence-based solutions to homelessness are required to maintain this momentum. “If the underlying economic conditions don’t change, and if the money gets cut, you’re going to see an increase again,” says Dr. Kushel. State and local governments can lead the way in solving the homelessness crisis by investing in proven solutions like: ➡️ Affordable housing ➡️ Homelessness prevention ➡️ Behavioral health supports ➡️ Increased household incomes More policy recommendations: https://lnkd.in/gEm44RVT https://lnkd.in/gicpC8FU

"Elected officials have so many tools in their toolbox to solve homelessness," says Jesse Rabinowitz. "We have so much data, so much evidence, so many powerful stories from people with lived experience of homelessness. We know that the solution is housing and services, not jails and fines." Check out BHHI's evidence-based solutions: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gEm44RVT https://lnkd.in/ggWgbcHG