Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation’s Post

Plymouth Stories: Kevin, Resident "Moving into Plymouth Housing has afforded me the ability to grab my binoculars and look out my window at night and find Mars and Venus and the constellation of Orion, the hunter, and all different constellations. It has afforded me the ability to have quiet. When you don't have a home, you don't have this. You are on concrete. You are exposed to sirens. You are exposed to police cars. You're exposed to eyes—everybody's eyes. And you assume everybody who walks by you and looks into your eyes can immediately discern every one of your insecurities in your shortcomings—in your faults and your failures. And there's nowhere to hide. It can drive you crazy. It can keep you using drugs. Having a home has afforded me the ability to escape those ever-present eyes and ears and sirens and concrete." [ #PlymouthStories: A series that illuminates the shared humanity of people impacted by homelessness. Each story features a Plymouth Housing staff member, resident, or supporter. ]

The last time I wrote about housing in Sun Valley for the Boise Weekly, my article was titled "Sun Valley: If You Lived Here, You'd Be Homeless By Now." Luckily, things have changed a lot, and for the better. Find out where things standing on housing in the Wood River Valley in my latest piece: https://lnkd.in/eRdEx7Yf

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 - 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐰'𝐬 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀2𝐏 After a life-altering accident left him paralysed and on the brink of homelessness, Jake Bilsborow found more than just a house with Access 2 Place — he found a home that set the foundation for his new life. At A2P, we understand that secure housing is the bedrock on which individuals can rebuild their lives. Jake's home was tailored to enhance his independence, with features that support physical needs and an environment that fosters community and belonging. Today, Jake is not only living independently; he's thriving as a key player in Sturt's wheelchair football team and an active community member. His story is a powerful reminder of how integral a secure and supportive home is to recovery and resilience. "Access 2 Place has given me a new lease on life," says Jake, "I can’t thank and recommend them enough." Jake’s remarkable journey was also featured on 9 News! Watch his story in the link below. https://lnkd.in/dhRYY8NT #HousingFirst #CommunitySupport #Accessibility #Resilience #A2P #communityhousing #disabilityhousing #successstory

Good news we all need to hear. In additions to the apartments and hotels, I would like to see more Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) placed in the backyards of low & fixed income homeowners near bus routes. If we could give prebuilt ADUs to these homeowners in exchange for 10 years of below market long term rents we might address three problems: affordable housing, seniors needing financial help, and loneliness. A third party could provide a master lease to guarantee income to the host and client services to the resident. This third party could use matchmaking processes developed by the BLOCK project (Seattle) to move past traditional landlord-tenant power dynamics. Roughly $100K per pre-built ADU installed is probably more expensive than the almost $43K ($46.8M / 1135) but it could last longer using fractional ownership contracts, public-private partnerships, and social investors (bonds or shares). #accessorydwellingunit #adus #seniorliving #affordablehousing #unhoused #homelessness #housinginsecurity

How fitting that the day we recognize Homeless Persons Memorial Day is the Winter Solstice: the day on which those of us in the Northern Hemisphere see the most hours of darkness and the fewest of daylight. We know that access to safe, clean, affordable housing saves lives and repairs communities. It's why we do everything that we do. Read the full blog post and learn about how you can help us create the better world we all deserve here: https://lnkd.in/gbB5Yuzc

"𝘼𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?" Empty homes are often cited as a way to increasing #housingsupply and help families into a safe and secure property; but is it as easy as all that? This interesting BBC article delves into such a scheme in Wigan, discussing the difficulties, but ultimately, positive impact on the local community. #SundayReading #BBCNews #HousingCrisis #CouncilHousing #SocialHousing

If you're that person who knows about drywalling and/or locksmithing, the team at One City Peterborough needs to speak with you yesterday. They are in need of someone with drywalling sills to help with some of the interior renovations and completing the offices at the former Trinity Church location. It's hard to handle confidential discussions when you haven't got four solid walls for your office! Likewise, the locksmith will be asked to do monthly checks to make sure that locks are locking and in some cases, repair or replace locks, strike plates and handles when needed. Both positions require vulnerable sector screening. There is also a need for someone very special to drive one of their clients to a community program. This client has some special needs, so it may not always just be dropping off/picking up. You will clearly need vulnerable sector screening and will be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. If any of these seem like positions that you can handle, please check their profile page at https://buff.ly/3XYRJkv Remember, we can complain about the homeless situation, or we can get up and do something to help. #VolunteersUrgentlyNeeded #CommunityBetterment #CommunityBuilding #HelpTheHomeless #SkillsNeeded #TradespeopleWanted Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce

This #thoughtfulthursday I thought I would look at this article from the bbc re empty homes (see at the end) Using the link in the article I found Southend has 2040 empty properties. Looking back at the figures, this has fluctuated between 2000 -2300 over the past 7 or 8 years. A quote from the article `Mr Tonge said empty homes were not only a waste of much-needed resource, but could also be a problem in themselves. "We've had fires. We've had drug users getting in there," he said, pointing out a boarded-up house at the end of a Victorian terrace. "Some of the kids were breaking in there and using it as a den and it just becomes a magnet for anti-social behaviour." The owner of the house bought it as an investment and planned to do it up, but ran into financial problems, he said. It can take weeks of labour-intensive work to hunt down owners who live elsewhere in the country or abroad. The team at Wigan Council sometimes use specialist genealogist companies to search birth, death, and marriage certificates and trace family trees. Sometimes, feuds within families mean houses sit unused long after an owner has died, because one relative does not want another to benefit from a sale. "You find yourself getting involved in family disputes," he said. "And they're not afraid to tell you the issues either." Mr Tonge has also recently found a problem with supposedly-occupied houses actually being used as cannabis farms. "It’s becoming a lot more common than you would think," he said.` Neil Tonge is the man who is carrying out this work and it is quite clearly a long drawn out process but given the amount of the country in Temporary accommodation - often in unsuitable conditions - the question is, is this worth doing? Let me know your thoughts below:

#HousingChoiceVouchers #Homelessness #PermanentHousing Today, HUD and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that they are making available $78 million in over 7,000 HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers to Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) nationwide. The HUD-VASH program combines Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) rental assistance with case management and clinical services provided by VA to help veterans experiencing homelessness access permanent and sustainable housing, as well as high-quality health care and supportive services. The efforts of HUD and VA through the HUD-VASH program have helped with the reduction of veteran homelessness rates, such as the number of veterans experiencing homelessness decreasing by 5% since early 2020 and by 52% since 2010. Additionally, VA and HUD partnered to permanently house more than 46,000 individuals experiencing homelessness in 2023.

To those experiencing homelessness in this bitter cold, Lighthouse MI is providing a lifeline.