Housing Forward’s Post

“The overrepresentation of Black Californians’ experiencing homelessness is deep seated. It arises from centuries of anti-Black racism, embedded in policies and practices. Ending homelessness among Black Californians will require a dramatic increase in affordable housing, economic support to help them afford this housing, and dedicated efforts to navigate a challenging housing market and to enforce anti-discrimination laws.” - Kara Young Ponder, Director of Community Engagement and Racial Justice, Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at UCSF focused on Black Californians’ experiences of homelessness. 'Toward Equity: Understanding Black Californians’ Experiences of Homelessness' is a new report from the Benioff Initiative exploring Black Californians’ experiences of homelessness - and how we can lift up evidence-based solutions for preventing and ending homelessness for Black Californians. Learn more, and check out the full report here! https://lnkd.in/gMZETkrk #housing #homelessness #california

📰 Hot off the press! The newest EngagingCities newsletter is out now! 🔥 Read a summary of my Fireside Chat with Carlo Tomaino, City Manager of Signal Hill, to learn how the city achieved zero functional homelessness 💡

Black Californians continue to be overrepresented in the state's homeless population. In Sacramento, Black Californians now make up 9% of the general population, but 35% of the homeless population, marking an increase from last year. “This is devastating, year after year, the numbers of Black Californians who are falling into homelessness,” says Dr. Kara Young Ponder, PhD “It’s devastating to see these numbers rising.” This isn’t a coincidence, it's racialized homelessness caused by centuries of anti-Black racism that persists in our systems today. Learn more about why more Black Californians are pushed into homelessness than other racial groups, and which policy changes can help us work toward housing justice in our recent report: https://lnkd.in/gy7AAgqZ https://lnkd.in/gv5A7x9q

Communities from all over the country are making progress towards solving homelessness. Here's how: 🏡 A shared, community-wide definition of what solving homelessness looks like and the belief that it’s possible. 🤝 A collaborative, community-wide team that is accountable and working together as a command center. 📊 Comprehensive, real-time, by-name data on who is experiencing homelessness to continuously track progress and improve system performance. ✊ A racial equity focus to overcome racial disparities. 💰 Investments to address a nationwide shortage of safe, deeply affordable homes. #HomelessnessIsSolvable #housing #homelessness #homeless

On this Juneteenth, let's not forget that due to racism in our criminal justice, education, employment, housing, and other systems, combined with the lasting effects of chattel slavery, Black Americans disproportionately experience homelessness in our communities. It is 100% systemic that Black Americans are: * 3x as likely as the general population to become homeless; * 2.5x as likely as their White counterparts to experience poverty; * 5.4x as likely as Whites to become incarcerated; * 2x as likely to be unemployed; * ~50% as likely as White people to have a college degree; * on average likely to have about one-tenth the wealth of White households. Thank you, National Alliance to End Homelessness, for being forthright about this reality. It certainly remains true four years later. https://lnkd.in/gH9YjD7Q #juneteenth #neighborhoodhandscommunity

Black homelessness is much more sensitive to changes to Black unemployment than white homelessness is to white unemployment. Underlying this difference are the racialized conditions which make Black residents more at risk of unemployment leading to homelessness. Longstanding racial wealth disparities mean that white individuals more often have family members to lend financial support during periods of hardship. Featured voices: “My name is Juanita Johnson. I grew up here in Peoria, Illinois. I am 46.” “At the time when I was homeless, I had four children. We stayed here, the shelter, twice. My kids was not happy at all here. They was embarrassed, you know, because they were going to school and then the bus will come and pick them up. They were scared to get on the bus because all the kids would see them, like, ‘You staying in a shelter, you staying--’ So that was really hard for them. It was hard for me to watch them go through it.” Please register for our upcoming event to learn more. https://ow.ly/19mN50Teqjc Read the full report here. https://ow.ly/Hgf850Teqj7 . . . #blackhomelessnessreport #blackvoices #chicagohomelessness #homelessness #policy #chicago #irrpp

Important read.

ICYMI: Watch our discussion with Randy Shumway as he delves into the heart of one of society's most pressing issues: homelessness. With decades of experience in advocacy, community development, and social impact, Randy brings you a thought-provoking discussion that sheds light on the multifaceted challenges faced by those experiencing #homelessness. Gain a deeper understanding of homelessness and seek new inspiration to make a difference in your community, "Exploring the Complexities of Homelessness" offers a compelling platform for enlightenment, understanding, and action.

An estimated 68,440 people in Chicago experienced homelessness in 2021, with #Hispanic and Latino/a/x Chicagoans often facing #homelessness through couch-surfing—91% living in doubled-up situations, according to the Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness. National research points to the "Latino Homeless Paradox," where this group is underrepresented in street and shelter homelessness data despite high rates of poverty and #housinginsecurity. Researchers attribute this to strong social networks and informal support systems. Latino Policy Forum and Illinois Latino News (ILLN) have launched a 2-year campaign to raise awareness about 'doubling-up,' the most common form of homelessness in the #Latinx community. The campaign challenges HUD's definition of homelessness, which excludes those living doubled-up, and aims to inform housing policy for disproportionately affected Black and Latinx populations. #HispanicHeritageMonth Learn more: https://bit.ly/4e1RM4c

Our new report, “Toward Equity,” explores #CAHomelessnessStudy data to uncover causes, consequences & racial disparities of homelessness among Black Californians. The findings are striking. While Black Californians account for only 7% of the state’s population, they represent over 26% of the homeless population. This isn’t a coincidence, it’s the aftermath of centuries of anti-Black racism.   Over policing is one way anti-Blackracism impacts housing stability for Black Californians. Over one in five (22%) Black Californians entered homelessness directly from an institutional setting, primarily from carceral settings.   Black #CASPEH participants encountered pervasive discrimination in their search for housing. Over half (51%) noted that discrimination impeded their search for housing. They described being turned down for available housing units once the property owner or rental manager observed their racial identity.   To end racialized homelessness, CASPEH research recommends: ➡️ End economic marginalization ➡️ Increase affordable housing & prevention ➡️ Respond equitably ➡️ Interrupt the incarceration to homelessness pipeline ➡️ Support health equity Report: https://lnkd.in/dQ-PPefc Webinar: https://lnkd.in/gH3iTttu #antiblackracism #racializedhomelessness #SystemicRacism #SocialJustice #Homelessness #RacialDisparity #HealthEquity #BlackHistoryMonth #HousingJustice