Caroline Angiello’s Post

"The independent evaluation of Project Roomkey is out, and the verdict is in. It worked. As has been widely reported in the media, California’s Project Roomkey successfully provided emergency housing to 62,000 people experiencing homelessness after COVID-19 took hold." Read more about Project Roomkey in the latest post on The CHCF Blog: https://lnkd.in/gTBYxCh2

Impact for Equity strongly condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson. Today’s ruling further criminalizes people experiencing homelessness by allowing local governments to penalize people for sleeping outside when they cannot access shelters or secure permanent housing. At Impact for Equity, we believe housing is a human right and the solution to the crisis of homelessness is more affordable housing, not criminalization. Today’s decision will aggravate the existing housing crises in cities across the country by legalizing the criminalization of homelessness at a time when the number of families experiencing homelessness on any given night is at an all-time high. Impact for Equity remains committed to addressing the root causes of housing instability and we will continue to fight for more affordable housing throughout metropolitan Chicago and Illinois. 

Housing Alliance Delaware's recent 2024 Point-In-Time count saw a 9% increase in homelessness in Delaware. Each year, the Delaware Continuum of Care conducts a PIT count of people experiencing homelessness. As a community health advocate and partner of HAD, I understand that these numbers tell a story. The homeless also tend to be the most vulnerable to the opioid epidemic and those struggling with alcohol or drugs are often those who need shelter the most. It’s important to remain empathetic and supportive to those struggling and on the pathway to recovery. See the 2024 PIT Count Methodology here: https://ow.ly/BrPX50S8PrM

The GPL’s Homelessness & Housing team is presenting at the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ annual conference (#NAEH2024). Join us on Tuesday, July 9 from 9:45 to 11:00 ET for our session “How Chicago Dug into Improving PSH Utilization” to learn how All Chicago Making Homelessness History (the Chicago CoC's lead organization) used the GPL’s diagnostic framework to increase successful Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) referrals. The session will also include a mini skills-building workshop. PSH is one of our communities’ most precious housing resources, and yet many jurisdictions struggle to maintain high occupancy. Connecting clients to PSH involves many stakeholders with diverse interests, and often relies on manual systems for tracking units and clients. The first step in improving complex PSH systems is to effectively diagnose challenges and understand where to prioritize improvements. In this session, attendees will learn how the GPL conducts diagnostic work to launch impactful solutions.

Join United Way for this important conversation!

We all want a home and to feel safe, and yet many young people we work with have faced homelessness over the past months as a result of Home Office policy and practice. We shared what we’re seeing with NACCOM: https://lnkd.in/eivEE8iX Read more in our blog on the homelessness crisis: https://lnkd.in/eWzmUrp2

How do you know your housing and homelessness programs are making the intended impact? Through assessment and evaluation, our analytics experts specialize in understanding data on homelessness and housing. We help organizations and communities quantify the impacts of their homelessness response and housing programs, giving them the knowledge to make targeted improvements to house as many people as possible quickly and equitably. Learn more about our approach! https://lnkd.in/gJeQ62eB  #HomelessnessSolutions

Can someone explain why polling from the homeless sector consistently shows support for compassionate solutions or opposition to arresting homeless people, yet criminalization continues to rise and support for housing continues to decrease? Where’s the disconnect? Is it response bias? Are we asking the wrong questions or the wrong people? Or is it something else? The public polling I see on homelessness doesn’t align with what we’re witnessing in real life. Why is that? For context, this stems from a conversation I had with people from another country about public polling. I’m questioning all the polling being done around homelessness, not just one specific source.

I am (sadly) unsurprised by the Supreme Court's recent decision here. But it is a particularly hideous and cruel reaction in the face of a widening wealth gap, affordable housing crisis, overdose crisis, banning equity and inclusion practices, anti-queer legislation...the list goes on and on. I've done a lot of advocacy and work with unhoused people over the years and can tell you that individual people choose to sleep outside for any number of reasons: lack of shelter beds, lack of safety, shelter rules that make it impossible for people who use drugs to enter the shelter, no community support...again, the list goes on and on. But it really boils down to systemic failures like lack of supportive housing, lack of affordable housing, lack of transitional housing, and shelters/warming centers etc that do not have the staffing capacity to meet the unique needs of people with complex trauma. The failure is on our poorly designed systems, not on individual people working in various parts of this broken system, and certainly not on individual people doing what they can to survive (is sleep not a basic human right?). I feel lucky to live in a community that is doing a lot to care for the needs of unhoused people and lucky to work alongside tireless advocates who care deeply about the needs of this population but not everyone is so lucky. This ruling will have ripple effects that will further malign an already stigmatized population that (rightfully) distrusts the many systems they must engage with in order to access care, a place to sleep, and so many other basic needs. I realize I'm (mostly) preaching to the choir by sharing these imperfectly formed thoughts with my network, but I encourage people to show up in your communities to advocate for the needs of unhoused people and see what your community is doing to provide services for unhoused people. It matters because unhoused people matter and do not deserve to be criminalized for poverty. Most of us are closer to homelessness than we are to millionaire status and I encourage us all to see this is OUR fight. We have to be in it together. https://lnkd.in/eJZ3yZmG

Arguments start today for #JohnsonvGrantsPass, the most significant case to reach #SCOTUS on homelessness in a long time. The case will, in essence, determine whether homelessness can be criminalized, potentially overriding the Appeals Court decision in Martin v Boise, which has protected the right to sleep outside when no other shelter options are available. I have seen Martin v Boise be skirted relentlessly, and can only imagine the outcomes if cities are empowered to fine and imprison folks for lacking housing. Actions will be occurring nationwide, go to https://lnkd.in/gtgrE_Me to find ways to support.