William E Higgins Jr’s Post

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should It’s important to note that this case may prevent certain lawsuits. Still, it doesn’t force communities to take specific actions or actively engage in criminal punishment of unsheltered people. Instead, it makes it easier for communities to do that. Elected officials who insist on going down that path will quickly learn that it won’t change the realities of homelessness. Criminal penalties such as fines, tickets, and arrests make homelessness worse and cost communities much money that should otherwise be spent on housing, supportive services, and street outreach. With record numbers of people entering into homelessness systems for the first time (more than 18,000 people per week in 2023, according to new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] System Performance Measure data), we must remind leaders that what solves homelessness is housing, together with supportive services needed to help people stabilize in housing. And these are investments that benefit the entire community, not just folks who are experiencing homelessness. https://lnkd.in/e9_FqX5B

⚖ 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

Criminalizing homelessness doesn’t solve it, in fact ticketing and arresting people makes their situations a lot worse. Affordable housing and accessible, flexible services like Direct Cash Transfers are what we need to be investing in. Ahead of oral arguments on April 22 I want to be very clear that I stand with National Homelessness Law Center, National Alliance to End Homelessness and Community Solutions, Inc. Built for Zero communities. I work with communities who have ended homelessness for certain populations of people - they did this by coming together as a community, breaking down barriers, using their data to drive system level change, addressing their biases, and investing in services and housing with more equitable outcomes, not by arresting their way out of it. #housingnothandcuffs

The US Supreme Court has been very active lately. A new ruling allows US communities to ignore housing issues. Decades of bad US policy created extreme income inequality and horrendous housing. Meanwhile the rest of the westernized world spent decades building safety nets for families, seniors and those living with disabilities and mental health issues. Why can’t we figure this out? It’s embarrassing. “Criminal penalties such as fines, tickets, and arrests make homelessness worse, and cost communities a lot of money that should otherwise be spent on housing, supportive services, and street outreach. With record numbers of people entering into homelessness systems for the first time (more than 18,000 people per week in 2023, according to new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] System Performance Measure data) we must remind leaders that what solves homelessness is housing, together with supportive services needed to help people stabilize in housing. And these are investments that benefit the entire community, not just folks who are experiencing homelessness.” https://lnkd.in/gyqavitC

This shows what can be done.

In the news 🗞️ Housing Forward and the All Neighbors Coalition offer housing and support services equitably, and coordinate with local government to ensure encampments remain closed permanently. This life-saving work reduces the personal and financial costs of homelessness. In a recent interview with Smart Cities Dive, we shared in-depth information about our community's "Street to Home" response. Smart Cities Dive wrote, "Kahn said her teams are finding that what a vast majority of people living outside want is a housing solution. 'When we go on-site and engage with folks at those locations, 95% of the time people say yes to wanting to work with us on housing,' Kahn said. 'There’s a myth often that people who are living outside or people that are unsheltered are service-resistant, and that’s just not the experience that we’ve had as a community.'" Read to find out one of the big challenges our nation faces while trying to end homelessness in their communities: https://lnkd.in/gJDnkjtD

Did you know that seniors are the fastest-growing group experiencing homelessness? As of 2020, one-third of the chronically homeless population is over 55 according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. While the Coalition provides an array of programs and services that can help, read on to learn more about emergency housing solutions and additional resources available to our elderly neighbors struggling with homelessness. https://lnkd.in/e_tEG7i3

Housing is human right.

I joined hundreds of advocates in DC as #SCOTUS heard one of the most important cases on #homelessness in 40 years. It was inspiring to be with so many people who fight so hard for housing justice. And infuriating that we are talking about criminalizing homelessness instead of housing solutions. By 2044, Washington needs over 523,000 units affordable for the state’s lowest earners. That’s 26,100 units annually — and we are not on track. At Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Puget Sound, we are mobilizing resources and improving access to capital so more housing organizations and emerging developers can build. But we need to do more - much more. Despite our region’s abundance of wealth, we often exhibit a scarcity mindset toward #homelessness. Even among advocates, there can be resistance to new ideas. It’s time to support a full spectrum of housing options — more shelters, tiny homes, recovery housing, social housing, public housing and permanent supportive housing. And we must remove barriers and increase funding for developers to build at the scale and pace of the crisis. https://lnkd.in/gzRgQ-YG #grantspass #affordablehousing #housingnothandcuffs #housingendshomelessness #johnsvgrantspass

The issue of homelessness transcends mere lack of shelter, encompassing a complex interplay of social exclusionary factors that only exacerbate poverty, limit opportunities and create barriers to full participation in society. Effectively addressing homelessness demands more than short term fixes. It requires holistic solutions that go beyond housing to facilitate meaningful societal integration that break the cycle of housing instability permanently.