Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • On dangerous ground

    August 06, 2020 |

    Boulder Weekly |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Boulder, Colorado

    When an eviction moratorium expired and the government's pandemic aid spigot closed, Boulder County nonprofits and public agencies mounted a coordinated response to address a looming homelessness crisis. A gusher of donations created an eviction legal defense fund, a rental assistance program, and other aid to people struggling to pay utility and food bills. In just three months, 800 households received help in forestalling evictions while thousands more received legal and humanitarian services. Despite the community support, housing risks remain without a resumption of emergency government aid.

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  • This City Stopped Sending Police to Every 911 Call

    July 24, 2020 |

    The Marshall Project |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Olympia, Washington

    Since April 2019, Olympia’s Crisis Response Unit has sent civilian first-responders instead of police officers to hundreds of “quality of life” calls such as a mental health crisis or problems related to addiction or homelessness. Providing services while doing outreach on the streets, following up on previous calls, or dispatched by 911 operators or police, these responders connect people with the services they need to be safe and healthy, freeing police to handle more serious calls and avoiding police interactions that can lead to violence or needless jail stays.

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  • To fix homelessness, let's treat it as a health issue like they do in Denver

    July 20, 2020 |

    The Philadelphia Citizen |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia can look to places such as Denver and New Jersey for examples of how to alleviate homelessness by treating it as a health problem. Many people experiencing homelessness struggle with alcohol, opiate and drug addictions as well as mental and physical disabilities. Hospitals are often obligated to treat and keep anyone who may not have a safe place to go after release therefore the healthcare industry has an incentive to mitigate the homelessness crisis by providing wraparound services as well as transitional housing for people who have no where to go after a hospital release.

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  • What the Coronavirus Proved About Homelessness

    July 18, 2020 |

    The Atlantic |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United Kingdom, England

    Britain's response to curbing the spread of coronavirus included the "Bring everyone in" operation which brought people experiencing homelessness off the streets and into accommodation - typically empty hotel rooms. Temporary shelter proved effective with only 16 deaths among those who were brought indoors. People were also given services that could lead to a life off the streets. The success demonstrated the ability of the government to quickly house people when political will and money were put toward solving the problem.

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  • Oakland's Homeless Community Knows How to End the City's Housing Crisis. Will Its Leaders Listen?

    July 14, 2020 |

    Law at the Margins |

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    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

    The city of Oakland and local activists use a similar response to the problem – building encampments of "tiny houses" – but there are critical differences between the two programs. An activist group called The Village has taken over parkland or vacant lots to build 23 tiny structures at the heart of self-governed communities that activists hope alleviate homelessness in the short term and lead toward permanent solutions. The city has torn down most of The Village's structures and erected its own two-person sheds in camps governed by the city, an approach that has had mixed success for the people it served.

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  • Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need

    July 13, 2020 |

    Pressenza |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Finland

    Finland, the only EU country with declining homelessness, uses a “Housing First” program to provide homes for people living on the streets with no preconditions. Nonprofits manage long-term housing and, once in homes, individuals receive a rental agreement and pay rent and expenses. Social workers provide services from offices in residential buildings and the state helps financially. The program provided 4,600 homes in the past decade and costs less than accepting the status quo of homelessness. About 20% drop out and around 1,900 people still live on the streets, but emergency shelters can accommodate them.

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  • The Love Lot: Where Step Up to the Plate offers free meals, live music, and medical attention to Kensington residents during COVID-19

    July 07, 2020 |

    Kensington Voice |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Step Up to the Plate is a collaborative effort of local organizations that began as a way to help those experiencing food insecurity due to Covid-19. Three outdoor sites have expanded to provide free meals, mental health and addiction resources, COVID-19 testing, live music and art to brighten people’s spirits, and help filling out stimulus check applications. The outdoor distribution site in Kensington gives out 560 healthy lunches a day. While the effort has brought to light just how bad things had gotten, it has also shown how effective organizations can be working together to meet the community’s needs.

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  • This town of 170,000 replaced some cops with medics and mental health workers. It's worked for over 30 years

    July 05, 2020 |

    CNN |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

    The CAHOOTS crisis-response program saves its city money and its people living on the streets a great deal of unwanted police contact – contact that in other places is a common cause of excessive force and arrests that solve nothing. And, while less than 1% of its calls require police backup, the resource-thin agency cautions that it is a partner with police, not an antagonistic replacement, and that its model cannot simply be copied wholesale regardless of where it's used.

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  • This New York Program Is Getting Ahead of Homelessness

    July 02, 2020 |

    Yes! Magazine |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    A program that aims to help New Yorkers who are at risk of losing their homes has proven effective in keeping people housed. Studies have shown that it is difficult to transition out of homelessness so its goal is to prevent it entirely. The group operates in all five boroughs of NYC and has helped almost 30,000 people on its budget of $53 million. The program provides both cash and services: money for rent, utilities, legal aid to fight evictions and settle landlord disputes, in addition to job training.

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  • COVID-19 Quarantine Facility Links Homeless To Range Of Services

    June 26, 2020 |

    Honolulu Civil Beat |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Iwilei, Hawaii

    When Covid-19 began spreading throughout the United States, officials in Hawaii set up a quarantine facility for those experiencing homelessness that helped connect residents with other services to reduce their risk of contracting the virus. While it's too early to know if this could be a viable model for health care in the long run, the practice of temporary housing has currently helped curb the spread of the virus among the community's "unsheltered people."

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