Housing and Support in Spain, Joint Efforts in the U.S., and More

Oviedo City and the Albéniz Foundation Offer Housing and Support to a Group Experiencing Homelessness

According to a recent Europe Press article, the Oviedo City Council and the Albéniz Foundation have collaborated to provide housing for 5 people living without accommodation - experiencing street homelessness. The initiative is follows a housing first approach. According to the article, in Asturias - the principality in which the city of Oviedo is located - there is said to be approximately 500 people experiencing homelessness, 90 of which are living without any accommodation. Pilar Varela, Minister of Services and Social Rights, announced during a press conference that Asturias has a goal to house 20 beneficiaries during the current legislature.

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

Slowly Winning the Battle Against Homelessness in Anchorage, Alaska

Several community partners in the city of Anchorage, Alaska have joined forces to tackle homelessness. Lisa Aquino, executive director of Catholic Social Services and the chair of the board of the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, says that advocates and service providers are "turning a corner, and using innovative and evidence-based methods to reach people, connect them with services and get them into housing." According to the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness Point in Time Count, in the past two years, the rate of homelessness among families declined from 371 to 280 and homelessness among individuals from 902 to 840. The city participates in the count every year as part of their efforts to track, assess and end homelessness within the community.

Read the full article here.

Expanding Shelters in Western Cape, South Africa

The government of Western Cape, South Africa has funded over 300 additional beds in shelters for people experiencing homelessness throughout the region. All Africa reports that the Haven Night Shelter is currently the leading organization, with 15 facilities across the province providing service to those experiencing homelessness. A survey conducted by the Department of Social Development in 2015 revealed that approximately 4,800 people were experiencing street homelessness in the greater Cape Town area, with 700 of them living without accommodation in the Central Business District. CEO of the Haven Night Shelter, Hassan Khan, says that there is pressure on shelters located in the inner city to have adequate resources to accommodate more people than shelters further away from the city.

Read the full article here.

Fighting to Solve Homelessness in Atlanta, Georgia.

Earlier this week, the City Council of Atlanta, Georgia approved funding for a plan to curb homelessness in the city. The funding is to be an addition to funding that is already underway through United Way of Greater Atlanta. Leon Stafford of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that during Mayor Kasim Reed’s “state of the city” address earlier this year, he announced that United Way made a pledge to match the funding from the city that will be used to renovate housing for people experiencing homelessness and increase shelter space. The articles notes that the largest portion of the city funding will be allocated to buying or renovating 500 units of permanent housing throughout the city to be offered to those experiencing homelessness. According to Stafford, an analysis conducted by the Partners for Home non-profit organization revealed that over 680 people are living without accommodation on the streets of Atlanta.

Read the full article here.

What Does Homelessness Look Like During The Night in Tokyo, Japan?

ARCH, an organization of researchers and students whose work focuses on finding solutions to solving homelessness in Tokyo, is seeking participants for a large-scale survey on homelessness to be held in early August. Specifically, the aim of the survey is to become informed about the experience of homelessness during the night time, as opposed to what is captured during various daytime censuses. According to the Tokyo Newspaper article, data collected from previous surveys conducted during the night reflected approximately two and a half more people experiencing homelessness compared to censuses conducted during the daytime. All who wish to participate in the surveys can apply by the end of July on the organization's website.

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

If there is news you would like to include in a future update, contact us here: http://www.ighomelessness.org/contact

#Spain #AlbénizFoundation #Asturias #OviedoCity #Anchorage #Alaska #LisaAquino #CatholicSocialServices #AnchorageCoalitiontoEndHomelessness #Atlanta #Georgia #MayorKasimReed #UnitedWayofGreaterAtlanta #homelessness #PartnersforHome #Tokyo #Japan #ARCH #survey #count #SouthAfrica #HavenNightShelter #MinisterofServicesandSocialRights #PilarVarela #TWIH