Family Promise of Essex County’s Post

🔊 The hidden expenses of homelessness can shockingly lead to higher taxes. Learn how these unseen costs affect your neighborhood and how YOU can take action. 💪🔗 https://lnkd.in/eZWjkb8F

Can affordable housing transform declining neighborhoods? One organization believes it can—and it’s already doing so. Based in San Angelo, Texas, Galilee is a not-for-profit organization providing affordable housing options for residents on low to moderate incomes. Stephanie Hamby, MPA, Executive Director of Galilee CDC, and Carlos Cruz, Rehabilitation Manager, discuss the organization's impact on affordable housing and homelessness, focusing on community engagement and partnerships. "With the category of 18-to-30-year-olds leaving school or the foster care system, these individuals are susceptible to homelessness or ‘couch surfing’, but by thinking upstream, we can provide good quality, affordable apartments to combat these potential issues." Read the full insight into Galilee here: 🔗https://ow.ly/FubU50TE4ct #AffordableHousing #AffordableLiving #GalileeCDC #MHBmagazine

Right now, too many of us in the Bay Area struggle to afford housing, face threats of eviction, and experience homelessness. But there’s hope. We’re joining together, as neighbors and advocates — renters and landlords, homeowners and people experiencing homelessness — to unlock a new future for our communities where no one is left behind. For #AffordableHousingMonth we’re building a #BayArea where we value everyone’s humanity, where we treat everyone with justice and dignity, and where everyone belongs. https://loom.ly/ZrZvxmw

Our statement regarding Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order: The Lucky Duck Foundation believes no one should live on the streets – it is not safe or humane for anyone.   Although the Supreme Court’s ruling and now Governor Newsom’s position on encampments can be perceived as punitive, we see it as a way to move government towards adding more shelters and other immediately available beds to reduce homelessness and help our neighbors in need move off the streets quickly and safely.    To be clear, we do not in any way shape or form endorse the “criminalization of homelessness.” Rather, we fully support government’s ability to connect our homeless neighbors to lifesaving resources off the streets to reduce unsheltered homelessness and protect public health and public safety.    The governor’s strategy until now has largely focused on adding and acquiring housing, which is very costly and time consuming. And, California has seen some of the largest increases in homelessness in the country over the last five years. As such, it is critical the Governor’s decision to clear encampments be coupled with a shift in strategy and resources to quickly activate a significant number of shelter beds so that people can move inside and connect to lifesaving resources. Otherwise, it will simply result in moving people around without providing an immediate pathway off the streets.

The 2024 Silicon Valley Pain Index reveals some critical challenges facing our community. San Jose has been named the most expensive large city in the U.S. to live in, with average monthly expenses reaching $3,504 as of 2023. Additionally, Santa Clara County leads the nation in the percentage of unsheltered homelessness and unsheltered, unaccompanied homeless youth. In response to these pressing issues, the BAFHA (Bay Area Housing Finance Authority) board has unanimously voted to place a $20B regional housing bond measure on the ballot for November. This measure aims to address homelessness and housing unaffordability across the Bay Area. Pilar Lorenzana, SVCF Vice President, Community Action, Initiatives and Policy, stated: “We are so grateful for the leadership of Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Mountain View Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga, and City of Millbrae Councilmember Gina Papan – and their support for this game-changing solution. If passed by voters, this $20B bond will provide critical support to close the gap for projects waiting in the wings to provide relief against the homelessness and housing unaffordability problems affecting the entire Bay Area region." Learn more about 2024 Silicon Valley Pain Index: https://lnkd.in/geFH6-75 #SiliconValley #HousingCrisis #Homelessness #AffordableHousing #CommunityAction #SVCF #SiliconValleyPainIndex

Today SCOTUS struck down the Grants Pass case regarding homelessness and public camping. They found that it was not cruel and unusual to criminalize homelessness. This is not the decision we wanted… But here’s the thing… Regardless of the SCOTUS decision we know housing solves homelessness. SCOTUS does not build housing or provide supportive services, communities do. And when communities come together to solve tough issues, we move forward not leaving anyone behind. Don’t let this decision discourage you. Lean in to the abundance we can create and keep beating the drum of housing solves homelessness. We can and are already doing the great work. I am proud of the steps we are taking locally here in Kansas and around the country. We are the movement. We are the people power. We can and will do this. We do not have to take homelessness into our future. We must make the case in our communities. We must build our choir of champions. We must be strategic and proactive with our policy and programming. We must get everyone into our collective future of abundance! #housingsolveshomelessness #grantspass #scotus #strategiccasemaking

We want to send a heartfelt thank you to our community members who are taking the fight for affordable housing head-on. Although we are far from our goal, this is a step in the right direction. Read more below: We are proud of the fight so far for housing and grateful for the community’s support. Yesterday's May 2024 Bond Briefing at Dallas City Hall did not go as well as we’d hoped. Some members of the City Council introduced a new plan to allocate $61M in bond funding toward housing and $8.5M to homeless solutions. While a step in the right direction, it is far short of the amount Dallas needs. $61M will afford 1,150 affordable, rental units versus the 33,660 Dallas needs now. Despite an increase in the amount of the total bond to $1.25B, the City’s new allocations also are far short of what we, City staff, other members of Council, and the Community Bond Task Force Subcommittee had recommended as recently as last week of $100-$150M for housing and $20M for homeless solutions. ... https://ow.ly/iHBj50Qzl4n #dallasimpact #dallashomeless #communitysupport #dallastexas #dallasisbigenoughforeveryone

🙏 A heartfelt thank you to all who participated in the Anchorage Point-in-Time Homelessness Count, from the volunteers who created care kits to organization partners who bundled up to help us count our unsheltered neighbors. A shoutout to the Anchorage Health Department, the Alaska VA Health Care System, Catholic Social Services - Alaska, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc., Covenant House Alaska, Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. and SALA, LLC, for spending time in the field with our outreach teams. Special thanks to those who are experiencing homelessness and took part. Your story and your voice matter! The efforts of our outreach teams help to capture a snapshot of the scale of homelessness in our city. What's Next? The data gathered is now on its way to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This information serves as a barometer for the scope of homelessness in Anchorage and is used in conjunction with our regular data collection. The Point-In-Time Count helps with: 1️⃣ Understanding the magnitude of our challenges. 2️⃣ Informing effective policy-making. 3️⃣ Guiding strategic allocation of federal funding. 4️⃣ Shaping the deployment of local services and resources. 5️⃣ Tailoring solutions that directly address the needs of our unsheltered neighbors. As we await the results, we commit to keeping you informed and engaged. Stay tuned for updates and learn how you can continue to contribute to the cause. Your voice, your actions, and your commitment are the keystones in building a stronger, more supportive Anchorage for everyone. Let's continue our combined efforts to provide stability, security, and housing to every member of our community. #AnchorageHomelessnessCount2024 #CommunitySupport #RealChange #EndHomelessness #HUD #PointInTimeCount