Better Angels’ Post

The devastating decision of the U.S. Supreme Court today allowing cities to continue to criminalize homelessness, even if people have nowhere else to go, is disappointing yet unsurprising. It fits in with the inefficient, ineffective, and inhumane belief that punishing people for trying to survive will somehow remedy a homelessness crisis caused by lack of affordable housing. When shelters are closed, beds are full, and no affordable options are available, housing status is not a choice. Attempting to eliminate visible homelessness through camping bans and criminalization is a knee-jerk reaction to a complex problem that demands intentional solutions like investments in housing, shelters, and appropriate services. The decision today is short-sighted and fails to incentivize local and state governments to invest and implement real solutions to homelessness that improve people’s lives and communities. #JohnsonVGrantsPass #HousingnotHandcuffs Read our full statement on our website https://lnkd.in/gfQSzyrk

❗ Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) data shows that 19,011 households received eviction notices in 2023. 61% were due to a landlord selling their property. This is in the context of a constrained and unaffordable private rental market, with a lack of alternatives. ❕ Almost one quarter of new presentations to homelessness in 2023 were due to households being issued with an eviction notice. 📢 Simon Communities of Ireland continue to call on the government to implement the Simon Homeless Prevention Bill, a targeted alternative to a blanket ban on no-fault evictions. 🏠 This Bill, in conjunction with the Tenant in Situ scheme, would provide much needed protection to those left at risk of homelessness after receiving an eviction notice. Find out more about the Simon Homeless Prevention Bill here: https://lnkd.in/eJNbMXna

I’d like to know what you all think about this article. Are tiny homes a viable solution to communities permanent housing needs? Or, more of stopgap/intermediary until permanent housing solutions can be developed?

One of the really nice things about All Home's framework for how to plan investments around homelessness is that it recognizes a simple reality: you cannot decrease unsheltered homelessness without preventing more people entering (or returning to) homelessness. There is no question we need more permanent, deeply affordable homes. There is also no question that we need interim and temporary solutions that reduce harm and provide safety. Where the public sometimes doesn't see the full picture is that a good deal of the crisis is fueled by first-time homeless experiences and people who return to the street for a variety of complicated but addressable reasons. This plan has been around for a bit, but it's worth sharing just to help people see an important part of the picture in California - the critical, ongoing necessity of dramatic increases in prevention. https://lnkd.in/gV_D6FuA

The U.S. Supreme Court has just issued a decision on the homelessness crisis. Here’s why this ruling is a ticking time bomb for Portland: ⚠️ Oregon is the only western state with a codified right to camping if too few shelters are available. ⚠️ If surrounding states and cities aggressively enforce new camping laws, Portland may become the city of last resort. ⚠️ We do not have enough emergency shelter beds. Our failed city leadership refuses to build enough for our current needs and has not prepared for the implications of the Grants Pass decision. It’s time to stop blaming the federal, state, and county governments for failing to act. We must clear our city of hazardous encampments, derelict cars, and unregistered, unsafe RVs, but we must do it cost-effectively and with the compassion that has always defined our community. As mayor, I’ll end unsheltered homelessness in Portland within 12 months of assuming office. Nighttime emergency shelter will provide safety, security, shelter, and sleep. Day shelters will serve as a ‘warm handoff’ designed to assess individual needs, connect individuals with resources, and permanently help our neighbors off the streets. It’s a proven blueprint developed by my nonprofit, Shelter Portland. We’ve seen the success of this strategy in other cities. If you want to bring this winning blueprint to Portland, a contribution to my campaign could make all the difference. #portland #pdx #homelessness #grantspassdecision #scotus #keithwilsonformayor

📰 SAMMinistries in the News 🏠🔑 "San Antonio is on track to nearly double encampment sweeps this year" by Iris Dimmick and San Antonio Report "According to data provided by the City of San Antonio, San Antonio has already surpassed its goal to get 400 people into shelter or housing this year. Between October 2023 and March 2024, the homeless response system helped 934 individuals move from the streets to shelter or housing, the city’s new data dashboard shows. ... However, more than 1,450 people became unhoused or returned to the street for a net of 751 people who found shelter or more permanent housing." "Ultimately, San Antonio needs more shelter, housing and rehabilitation options." - Nikisha Bronson Baker, President and CEO of SAMMinistries. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ewvvz5Uk #PermanentSupportiveHousing #OvercomingHomelessness

Is a homelessness annex missing from our emergency operations plans? This summer the Denver mayor declared homelessness, a disaster, to help mitigate the cities growing influx of people suffering homelessness. Does this non-traditional approach to solving a basic human necessity (shelter) fit within EM or cross too far into social service programs? There are many factors that cause homelessness; economic, eviction, physical & mental health, substance abuse, discrimination, war, and natural disasters… Does the cause of why people are homeless, negate the need for community, state and federal leaders to provide resources and support? The Marshall Fire near Boulder, CO in late Dec 2021, destroyed over 1000 homes and left thousands homeless. The government at all levels stepped in and had shelters stood up the same night and FEMA offered housing assistance and recovery programs. Is there a path for people suffering homelessness to activate or utilize those same resources? Would it take the Winter cold or Summer heat or another pandemic to trigger such support? If homelessness by itself is not a “disaster”, are there ways to accelerate other government social service processes to act as quickly and nondiscriminatory as disaster response mechanisms? Is EM stretched too far or not enough? Interested to hear your thoughts on this. #emergencymanagement #shelters #homelessness #Maslow https://lnkd.in/gq8Z66Bd

What if you were homeless? Would you feel safer going it alone or finding a group of people that can have your back? Well, that's what I see when I see the homeless encampments. I see people who have bonded over a commonality of homelessness and have created a community that watches out for each other. Just like you might have in your neighborhood today. So, when we step into their encampment, seeking to save them from where they feel safe with the community they have created, I think we need to approach helping them in a different way. I think they'd prefer to be relocated together, with as much of their belongings as possible, to a clean place they can call home even if it's a safe tent parking lot, camp ground or other spot designated by the City as authorized for outdoor camping. When we go in and throw away their life possessions that's not being compassionate or environmentally-conscious. When we break up their social connections and bring them back into a sense of isolation and deprivation, we are creating more trauma and problems for them. As San Diego City and County staff act on the CA state order to remove encampments, ensure you have a plan to relocate these individuals as a group so they can maintain their sense of community unless they are known to commit crimes or need serious medical attention. Those experiencing homelessness are human beings that have adapted to their circumstances and have found a way to survive. Help them find better housing and assistance but don't destroy their community. It's all most of them have left.

Last week’s Manhattan Supreme Court ruling that blocked City Council legislation expanding access to the CityFHEPS rental assistance program is profoundly disappointing. As many as 60% of families and 85% of single adults in VOA-GNY shelters do not meet the current onerous eligibility requirements for CityFHEPS vouchers. This ruling ensures that they will remain unable to access the vital rental assistance they need to live independently. Countless more New Yorkers who are struggling to afford their rent will have no choice but to enter the shelter system because they are unable to qualify for these desperately needed vouchers. At a time of record homelessness, New York should be doing everything in its power to expand access to critical benefits that help as many people as possible exit and avoid homelessness. We remain committed to finding a path forward – implementing and scaling tried-and-true, cost-effective solutions that house individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. #cityfheps #nychousing #housingpolicy

Unsheltered homelessness is a crisis that demands urgent, bold, pragmatic solutions. Reno is addressing homelessness as a humanitarian issue, building shelters for over 600 unhoused residents and providing access to jobs, services, and permanent housing once they’re indoors. With this approach, they’ve seen a 58% drop in unsheltered homelessness. We have proven solutions to get people off the streets and into safe, dignified housing quickly — but it will take all of us building the political will to end San Jose’s era of encampments. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gzNbADUp