Pathways to Housing PA’s Post

A very important read about the false promises of laws that would criminalize homelessness. In practice, these laws aren't reducing homelessness at all. In fact, they're creating chaos and making the work to rehouse people even harder. The reason is simple: because they are written by people who don't understand the issue at all, but do understand the political advantages of demonizing vulnerable populations. https://lnkd.in/ea2UCe2V

The supreme court heard arguments (Grants Pass V. Johnson) this week regarding a cities authority to regulate homelessness and sleeping in public. This is a ruling that is going to directly affect the City of Boise and their attempts to regulate homeless encampments in the city. Homelessness is a continued issue that we as a community have to work to try to better. It will be interesting to see how the supreme court rules and how that hampers or allows cities to expand on an authority to try to regulate homelessness in the community. https://lnkd.in/g6ZfXSfh #propertymanagement #business #boiserealestate #idahorealestate #idahorealtor #idahohomes #boiserealestate #boiserentals #narpm #idaholegislature #Idaholaw #landlordtenantlaws

The Supreme Court overturned the case of City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson. The ruling makes it easier to fine, ticket, or arrest people for sleeping outdoors, even if elected officials have failed to produce sufficient shelter or housing for everyone in the community who needs it. In the wake of this decision, the Alliance continues to publish resources and guidance 👇 https://lnkd.in/grz9bDX6. Advocacy at the local level is important now more than ever, as local elected officials will have the most impact on how a locality responds to homelessness. We must ensure they know that tickets and arrests are costly and counterproductive, and that the most effective way to end a person’s homelessness is connecting them to permanent housing and supportive services. How you can help 👇 https://lnkd.in/g3gcDCBh #NAEH2024 #EndHomelessness #BeLikeMike #Prevention #Diversion #FlexFunding #SCOTUS #JohnsonVGrantsPass #HousingFirst #HousingIsHealthcare

#KeelyWebster and #CaitlinDewitt do a terrific job outlining the successes and challenges of accessing bond financing in connection with homelessness reduction programs making this article a “must read.” Addressing homelessness is a Herculean challenge and new approaches are needed. These include, among other things, increasing the use of modular housing and revising public procurement requirements so impact investors and smaller companies can more easily particpate in bringing projects to fruition. #TeamSPB is working on any number of housing projects and structuring them in a variety of ways. Feel free to reach out to explore the “art of the possible”. #infrastructurehousing #infrastructure #socialinfrastructure Impact investors are particularly well suited as investors in housing projects because they are focused on delivering value for money and are particularly adept at building consensus across large groups of project participants. But, many such investors will tell you they don’t work on public projects because of the cost of the procurement process and the lost investment opportunity costs when procurements fail or they are not selected. These investors are required to make meaningful investments and investing in procurement does not qualify. This seems to be an opportunity looking for a sponsor. We need to consider what statutory and regulatory changes we can make to procurement to attract more investors. Developers in San Francisco and in 18 other Bay Area jurisdictions have failed to submit and implement state-approved housing plans and meet production goals. This failure brings SB 432 into play which elminates discretionary review for most residential projects that include a minimum of 10% affordable, on-site units or comply with local inclusionary requirements - which ever is higher. When SB 423 took effect in San Francisco it shortened the housing approval process from what was one of the longest and most arduous processes in the California to one of the shortest. Improving the approval process is one thing, creating an environment that expands the investor base and considers options other than new construction is another. There are many different road to Rome and finding solutions for housing is not that different. We need to find or make some new roads.

Volunteers of America-Greater New York (VOA-GNY) condemns in the strongest possible terms last week’s Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of laws that criminalize sleeping in public spaces even when there is a lack of shelter. Policies that criminalize poverty and homelessness do nothing to prevent poverty or homelessness. Instead, they make it even harder for individuals and families to break the cycle of poverty by negatively impacting their freedom, mental and physical health, and ability to work and find housing. Housing is a human right. VOA-GNY is proud to be a provider of both temporary and affordable housing in New York City, where people have a right to shelter. In our 128 years working with individuals and families in need, we’ve seen the life-changing, life-saving impact of access to safe shelter and affordable housing. More than half of Americans are just one missed paycheck from homelessness. This looming crisis is especially dire in areas like New York, where the cost of living is skyrocketing, the cost of housing is increasing more rapidly than inflation, and the housing vacancy rate is just 1.4 percent. This ruling serves as a wake-up call for New York, which must fulfill its commitments to building affordable housing and aggressively defend its right to shelter. It is our moral obligation—and VOA-GNY’s mission—to continue to provide support to those in our communities who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Read the statement on our website here: https://lnkd.in/eEvj4Mmw #JohnsonVGrantsPass #HousingNotHandcuffs #HousingIsAHumanRight

At Abode, we are concerned that Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order today regarding the removal of #homeless encampments will fail to reach its goals and yield negative results for those who simply need a home. We believe today’s announcement is a call to action for our state and local leaders to redouble our efforts to end homelessness. Our stance on the issue of sweeping #encampments is clear: • #Homelessness is not a crime, it is a crisis – one that is a result of systemic failures that have produced fewer than 24 affordable units for every 100 people who need them. • In the Bay Area, some would have to earn as much as $78 per hour to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment. (For low-wage workers, that would mean working up to five full-time minimum-wage jobs.) • We believe this nation’s laws should protect the most vulnerable people in our community – not threaten them. • Criminalizing homelessness is wrong. It is cruel, ineffective, and costly. • It worsens cycles of homelessness and makes it more difficult to find real #solutions. That is why we condemned the June 28 Supreme Court ruling on Grants Pass v. Johnson, which makes it easier for authorities to punish people for experiencing homelessness, even when there is no adequate shelter. Instead of punishing those in need, we would like to use today’s announcement as an opportunity for a call to action. Newsom himself called on local governments to house people and provide services. It is our hope that state officials and local governments will do just that – find and fund #sustainable housing solutions. As a region, we long ago moved away from the tepid goal of merely “managing homelessness.” Instead, we must keep taking steps to actually end the problem. We must urge leaders – nationally and locally – to accept the idea that just moving people around isn’t going to solve #homelessness. Sweeping an #encampment is no solution, if the individuals living there have nowhere to go. The solution to homelessness is #housing. Today, we call on local leaders to continue to work on that real solution, so that someone experiencing homelessness today will soon have a dignified place to live. #SustainableSolutions #HousingFirst #HousingEndsHomelessness

⚖ The Supreme Court is about to rule in the case of the City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, the first major case on homelessness to be heard by the Supreme Court since the 1980s. The case will determine the constitutionality of ticketing, fining, or arresting people for sleeping outdoors on public property, even if leaders have failed to produce enough affordable housing or shelter for everyone in the community who needs it. But let’s be real: even a favorable ruling will not bring us any closer to ending homelessness in this country. It will, however, make clear the responsibility of elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels to produce sufficient permanent housing solutions and shelter accommodations for every person in their communities who needs them. For that, we need significant investments in evidence-based solutions to homelessness – like low barrier shelter; affordable housing; and services at the federal, state, and local levels. Before a decision comes out, read the latest from my colleague Marcy Thompson for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. #endhomelessness #housingfirst #scotus https://lnkd.in/ew6-VvnX

The solution to #homelessness is to build more permanent housing, so that those experiencing homelessness have somewhere to live. Let’s invest in #housing instead of encampment sweeps. #psh #affordablehousing #housingfirst

Addressing homelessness requires compassionate and practical solutions, not criminalization. It's crucial to recognize that homelessness is a systemic issue, rooted in the lack of affordable housing. Policies that fail to provide alternative shelters only prolong street living and worsen the crisis. We need to invest in affordable housing and support services to truly end homelessness. Let's work towards real solutions that uplift our communities rather than penalize those in need. #EndHomelessness #AffordableHousing #CompassionateSolutions

"A strong body of evidence shows that when people are housed stably, they commit fewer survival crimes like theft, robbery, trespassing, loitering, and prostitution. Increasing access to rental housing in low-income neighborhoods has also been found to significantly reduce violent crime, and providing permanent housing subsidies is correlated with reduced rates of intimate partner violence." Check out this insightful piece from The Brookings Institution on creating safe places and safe sleeping for people experiencing homelessness. In light of the recent Grants Pass decision, the article highlights the importance of cost-effective and humane solutions to address homelessness without resorting to criminalization. https://hubs.la/Q02HR0cR0