Joe Frank Rodriguez’s Post

"No Fixed Address", a virtual town hall held in February 2024, provides a sobering overview of the homelessness crisis. It was prepared and facilitated by Waterloo Regional Councillor Rob Deutschmann and included a diverse array of speakers, each contributing unique insights and perspectives on the issue. The summary report on this #WRTownHalls segment is now available online at https://lnkd.in/gM5m-R4X Explore more insights on this escalating crisis & topic from expert guest speakers including: Margaret Capes who focused on educating the unhoused about their legal rights and building trust to combat "relational poverty." Mike Lethby who discussed the need for preventative measures for at-risk individuals, especially youth. Jaime Stief who highlighted the diversity of individuals in encampments and the negative impacts of bylaw enforcement. Chantelle McDonald & Greg Nash who presented on the homelessness crisis in London, Ontario, emphasising the urgency and complexity of the situation. Fiona York who talked about the need for housing solutions that go beyond quantity, addressing specific needs and situations. Drew Hirschpold who shared his raw and very personal journey through the housing system, highlighting systemic inefficiencies and the importance of community and dignity for homeless individuals. Kaite Burkholder Harris who criticized current systems for not being designed for people in crisis, leading to an increase in homelessness. Erin Dej who addressed the criminalization of homelessness and the importance of integrating homeless individuals into our collective notion of community. #Unsheltered #Homelessness #Encampments #WaterlooRegion #London #SarniaLambton #NiagaraFalls #Vancouver #Ottawa #Community

The article discusses Governor Gavin Newsom's directive to California state officials to begin dismantling thousands of homeless encampments in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling that gave governments greater authority to remove homeless people from the streets. The directive is considered the nation's most sweeping response to this ruling. The homeless crisis in California has been a significant issue, with an estimated 180,000 homeless individuals in the state, most of whom are unsheltered. Governor Newsom's executive order aims to address this crisis with urgency and dignity, although it has received mixed reactions from local leaders and advocates for the homeless. The Supreme Court decision in June upheld an Oregon city's ban on homeless residents sleeping outdoors, leading to increased pressure on cities to address homelessness. Governor Newsom's administration has allocated billions of dollars to address homelessness and has emphasized the importance of providing housing and services to homeless individuals. While some local Democratic leaders have expressed concerns about potential inhumane measures to address homelessness, others have welcomed the ruling and are taking steps to address encampments in their jurisdictions. Although research suggests that simply clearing encampments may have limited long-term effects on reducing homelessness, it can be a powerful inducement for homeless to accept shelter and services. Clearing encampments also provides temporary relief to the neighborhood and prevent the decline of particulars streets. Governor Newsom's directive extends to other state agencies, such as California State Parks and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, instructing them to adopt similar approaches to addressing encampments. The state will provide advance notice to homeless campers before clearing encampments and work with local service providers to connect individuals with services and housing. Overall, Governor Newsom's executive order reflects his administration's efforts to address the homelessness crisis in California, although the response has generated debate and varying reactions among local leaders and advocates. https://lnkd.in/gid7pXaz

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

This shows what can be done.

Criminalization makes it harder for people to exit homelessness. Instead, we need to invest in proven and humane solutions. Learn about best practices in responding to unsheltered homelessness: https://lnkd.in/g4R7xPhD #JohnsonVGrantsPass

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

I'm paying close attention to this. Criminalizing things poor people have to do does nothing but compound the problem. The resources of religious organizations, social services, government, and law enforcement end up being focused on cleaning up the mess left behind by bad policies and laws. These policies are quick fix attempts to punish victims of systems for political expediency and they have caused such significant damage to our social infrastructures that we no longer can support the programs that would prevent people from getting stuck in these cycles in the first place. The screaming demands of the life and death situations these policies create drown out the capacity of nonprofits to whisper well-placed words of redirection and transformative support.

Research Spotlight! Have you ever considered the main drivers of homelessness and how they impact public transportation? Transit agencies are being affected by homelessness. While transit agencies cannot address the underlying causes of homelessness, there are opportunities to work with local partners to help individuals in need while providing a safe, reliable, and customer-friendly experience for all riders. TCRP Research Report 242: Homelessness: A Guide for Public Transportation, from Transit Cooperative Research Program - TCRP, presents transit agency experiences and lessons learned as they have built on, newly implemented, or are considering programmatic activities that respond to homelessness. Learn more about this topic by downloading the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eDt92AuT.

Our new report with Abt Associates evaluates three different approaches to reducing the number and size of homeless encampments targeting unique challenges found in the San Fernando Valley, Long Beach and Los Angeles River Basin areas.      Through the insight we've gathered from outreach workers, government staff and homeless service providers, this report deepens the understanding of best practices for addressing unsheltered homelessness through encampment resolution. Read the report and dive deeper into a discussion between homelessness experts from the Homelessness Policy Research Institute. https://lnkd.in/gf6SSGd2  

Please check the PATHS report on encampment sweeps and housing trajectories from our HPRI members Randall Kuhn and Benjamin Henwood. The Periodic Assessment of Trajectories of Housing, Health and Homelessness Study (PATHS) — a joint research initiative between the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, focusing on the lives and experiences of people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in LA County — features a representative sample of PEH who were unsheltered, with ongoing monthly survey tracking on housing, health, and well-being even if respondents move into housing or shelter. Read the Media alert here (Consequences of disbanding homeless encampments and rehousing efforts in Los Angeles County):  https://lnkd.in/er2TRTmi   Read full report here: https://lnkd.in/eN6_DFvN