UK Rural Homelessness, Reductions in Puerto Rico, and more

Puerto Rico Census Points to Reduction in Homelessness

According to the government census conducted in January of this year, 3,501 people were experiencing homelessness in Puerto Rico. Of that population, 72.8 percent had no accommodation - experiencing street homelessness. Compared to the 2015 census, Puerto Rico has seen a decline in the rate of homelessness, by approximately more than a thousand. Maricarmen Rivera Sánchez, writes for the El Vocero that the decline in homelessness is attributed to migration and strategies in place to combat the issue, including the permanent housing approach and coordinated appraisal systems.

Read the full article here. (This article's original text is in Spanish)

Is Homelessness Notably Absent in People’s Understanding of Rural Life in England?

According to a new study by the London-based think tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the stigma surrounding homelessness in rural areas of the United Kingdom (UK) tends to be stronger than within UK cities. The study says that between 2010 to 2016, while homelessness increased by approximately 32 percent in mainly rural areas (countryside), homelessness increased by about 52 percent in urban areas (cities). Charlotte Snelling, author of IPPR's Right To Home? Rethinking homelessness in rural communities also suggests that the impact of homelessness could be worsened for households in rural settings due to difficulty accessing support, such as accommodation services. The study included recommendations that the government integrates rural-specific guidance on how to prevent and combat homelessness. Snelling writes, “rural homelessness often goes undetected but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, and unless you tackle the difficulties in delivering services in rural areas and finding affordable homes, it will continue to be a problem”.

Read the full article here.

Brussels Team Launches 400 Toits/Daken Campaign

A team in Brussels, Belgium, coordinated by Infirmiers de Rue and working as part of the European End Street Homelessness Campaign, launched their regional campaign 400 Toits/Daken (400 roofs). The name '400 Toits/Daken' references the 400 people who were documented to be sleeping rough during the last count conducted in 2014. In addition, Brussels participated in Connection Week - three nights where a diverse group of volunteers set out to meet and learn about the people experiencing homelessness, meeting 540 people and surveying 299 of those people. The next step in the campaign is to use the data collected to find homes for those living on the streets through the housing first strategy.

Read the blog on the European End Street Homelessness website here.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) 2017 Conference

Monday, July 17, 2017, will kick off the United States National Alliance to End Homelessness's National Conference on Ending Homelessness. During this conference, 2,000 people will join in Washington D.C. to learn and share solutions to homelessness. Wednesday, July 19, is Capitol Hill Day, which will be held in conjunction with the NAEH annual conference. On this day, advocates for homelessness from across the United States will meet with congress members on Capitol Hill and urge them to make it a federal priority to solve homelessness across the nation - highlighting federal investments needed to continue the trend of progress they've seen since the McKinney-Vento Act was passed in 1987. You can follow along with all conference updates at #NAEH17 on Twitter!

How Does Kerala, India Plan to Help People Living Without Accommodation?

The state government of Kerala, India is said to be formulating a sustainable housing program to relieve people from experiencing homelessness. As a preface to the launch of the state housing plan, Kudumabshree – a women’s self-help organization in Kerala – is conducting a survey this week to gather information about the people living without accommodation in urban areas of the state. The Times of India reports that teams comprised of local leaders and service providers, such as members of the health department and the police department, will set out to conduct the survey. Director of Kudumabshree says sustainable shelters are expected to be built based on the survey's results.

Read the full article here.

EUC Homes Foundation Seeks Solutions to Homelessness in Nigeria

Ben Uche Odunzeh, Chairman of EUC Homes Limited of Lagos, Nigeria, says that with the right strategies, Nigeria can tackle homelessness within the next 10 years. Odunzeh says he established the EUC Homes Foundation to inspire a sustained and strategic philanthropic response to homelessness, as well as hunger and illiteracy, in Nigeria. He explains that the foundation would "execute recommendations from staff and experts on what philanthropy can do to help end homelessness, and provide concrete examples of involvement by foundation of all sizes in this issue".

Read the full article here.

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