King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s Post

Troubling news from California. How we respond to homelessness in the wake of the cruel and overtly partisan Grants Pass decision will define our humanity. Do we prioritize endlessly managing it for the good political optics or solving it for the good of all Americans who regularly experience deep and profound housing insecurity, including unsheltered homelessness? Camp S sweeps are easy to order - building a system that ensures everyone has a home in which they can feel safe and secure is much harder. We won’t solve homelessness one person, one encampment, one project at a time. Our current systems and approaches are designed only to stave off the worst harm for some while we celebrate incremental progress. Its time to end political pronouncements that respond to public rancor and instead come together to create a new housing system that leaves no one out, that responds to the reality of human imperfection and that too many are simply surviving a deeply inequitable economy. We need a system that begins with and holds deeply the notion that everyone deserves a home. We not only CAN afford such a system, we can no longer afford not to build it. https://lnkd.in/gd3cDQ-P

Revolutionizing the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count with GIS With the number of homeless Americans increasing in many places, it has never been more important to leverage technology. This point-in-time (PIT) count identifies those who are unsheltered, sheltered in transitional housing, in emergency shelters, and in safe havens.  Use this solution to prepare for the count, enlist volunteers, approve volunteers, and conduct your counts.   https://lnkd.in/gEuHEDJW

The LA Times reported California spent big on homelessness — hundreds of millions of dollars — but where's it all going? We see it every day — homelessness in CA is up 6% in 2023 and 53% since 2013. It’s time for greater accountability. We need to do what works, and what works is implementing more rigorous oversight over homeless assistance programs to ensure that our taxpayer dollars are spent on programs that actually produce results. Learn more about my plan here: https://lnkd.in/g2h5MBeP.

🏘️ In many cases, communities are set up to manage homelessness, but not to end it for everyone who is experiencing it. Communities are proving that they can only end homelessness if they have systems and investments realigned around getting to zero ⬇️ Learn more about how #HomelessnessIsSolvable: https://bit.ly/49HqKxb

Today, I was pleased to speak to a Private Member's Bill from my MPP, the Ontario NDP's Bhutila Karpoche, that would establish a provincial Homelessness Task Force. If passed into law, the Task Force — composed of advocates, front-line workers, and people who are homeless — would utilize its expertise to inform a human rights-compliant provincial homelessness strategy. It's clear that the government's actions to date are not working, and that we are spending substantial resources on an uncoordinated effort to manage homelessness, not end it. The best way forward is for those who know what the solutions are to shape a provincial strategy. This isn't an added layer of bureaucracy; it's meaningful engagement with communities of expertise to ensure that Ontario will implement tangible, sustainable positive solutions to the homelessness crisis.

Criminalizing homelessness fails to address its root causes, such as the lack of affordable housing and access to services. Instead, it penalizes individuals who have no alternative but to sleep on the streets. Fining people who can't afford housing only exacerbates their situation, leading to incarceration and further instability. In Grants Pass, with over 600 homeless individuals and only 130 shelter beds, the problem persists. Shelters, like the Gospel Misson in Grants Pass, can pose risks to mental health, promoting religious conversion and unpaid labor. Often there is an adversarial relationship between staff and the clients leaving many with no safe place for shelter. Shelters can pose physical health risks like requiring complete sobriety despite the dangers of a sudden detox for long term substance users. Working at a shelter during the pandemic I saw first hand how quickly illness spreads in such a close environment. Shelters are often unable to accommodate families with more than a few kids making it even more difficult to find resources for a family struggling together. As a dog owner having to say good bye to a pet I love so dearly just isn’t an option. Yet we expect those experiencing homelessness to just give up their pets for a temporary shelter bed that may not be available the next night. Forget the emotional and mental support that pet might bring to them. This law, and others like it, seeks to criminalize an individual experiencing homelessness for their existence. It further ostracizes them from society. This law is cruel. It is an unusual punishment applied exclusively to those experiencing homelessness. Rather than criminalizing individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness, communities should prioritize creating effective programs and policies. The "Housing First" model remains the most effective approach. Expecting someone to improve their mental health, overcome addiction, or address financial struggles while sleeping outside is unrealistic. Stable shelter is a fundamental human necessity. Growing up in poverty I saw first hand how a discriminatory legal system can cause harm; a reality that was reinforced working as a social worker. I hope to continue to advocate for an individuals legal rights regardless of their socioeconomic status. It should not be a crime to sleep in public while homeless. Especially when communities have consistently failed to provide other safe and affordable alternatives.

This week’s City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson hearing marked the beginning of Supreme Court case proceedings with life-changing consequences for those we serve—by potentially allowing for unhoused people to be fined or arrested for sleeping outside. We must stand firm in our commitment to protecting our vulnerable unhoused neighbors. Research shows that the solution to the homelessness crisis is creating more affordable housing, not criminalizing homelessness. As we wait for an official ruling to be issued, be sure to read National Alliance to End Homelessness’ brief comparing criminalization as an approach to the homeless crisis with increased investment in homelessness services. Spoiler alert: strengthening homelessness services is the best path towards reaching functional zero on homelessness.

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

Homeless encampments are popping up on private property across the U.S. as solutions fail to keep pace. This growing crisis underscores the urgent need for increased funding and innovative solutions to address homelessness: https://lnkd.in/exDsHCPZ

Addressing Unseen Crisis: 170,000 Homeless in California 1. California is home to over 170,000 homeless individuals, constituting more than 30% of America's entire homeless population. 2. A staggering 50% of these individuals are unsheltered, battling through varied weather conditions day and night. 3. This situation underscores a dire need for enhanced empathy, bolstered support, and sustainable solutions to eradicate homelessness. 4. It’s imperative to magnify awareness, champion change, and systematically uplift our community members languishing in need. Let’s synergize our efforts to not just observe, but actively combat this crisis, ensuring our fellow citizens are not merely surviving, but thriving. Together, we navigate towards a future where homelessness is a distant memory. #EradicateHomelessness #ComprehensiveSupport #CommunityUpliftment #StrategicSolutions #CaliforniaHomelessnessCrisis #CommunitySolidarity #SustainableChange #EmpathyInAction #RobustSupportSystems #CollectiveEffort