Revisiting Permanent Solutions to Homelessness in the U.S., A Pioneering Housing Plan in Spain, and
- Tiffany Connolly
- Sep 1, 2017
- 3 min read
Task Force Assembled to Address Rough Sleeping in London
Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that a task force will initially be given £300,000 for 18 months to help people sleeping on buses and London Underground trains to find accommodation. The task force is part of Mayor Khan's million-pound Rough Sleeping Innovation fund, and seeks to address rising homelessness numbers -- more than double in 2014-15 than 2012-13, with an increase of 121%, according to Transport for London.
Read the article here.
Mobilization of Baltimore's 'Tent City' Encampments Brings Renewed Attention to Solving Homelessness
Alex Garcia of The Baltimore Sun explores the impact of the recent Tent City demonstration on Baltimore, Maryland. As a result of a protest outside of Baltimore City Hall, city officials have relocated about 55 of the encampment residents to emergency accommodation. Now, the local government must revisit solutions to provide permanent housing to those experiencing homelessness throughout the city. Garcia suggests that the city refrains from the previously-used law enforcement tactics and, instead, implement efforts similar to those of other cities who have seen success in combating the issue.
Read the article here.
A Pioneering Plan in Gipuzkoa to House Those Experiencing Homelessness
El Diario Vasco's Gaizka Lasa writes about an initiative that hopes to lead its first group's transition out of homelessness. Under the Elkar-Ekin Social Inclusion Plan of Gipuzkoa 2016-2020, ten individuals will each be placed in a single-person housing unit this week. According to the article, Donostia will be the first of the various locations where the individuals will be housed. Going forward, Foral Department of Social Policies, RAIS Fundación, and participating municipalities will make collaborative efforts to deliver periodic evaluations of the housing project. As reported by the RAIS Fundación, 100% of participants maintain permanent housing one year after being housed through the program.
Read the article here. (This article's original text is in Spanish)
Homelessness, Housing, and Violence Against Women in Canada
Women's Shelters Canada (WSC) released a new discussion paper examining the relationship between homelessness and violence against women (VAW). Housing, Homelessness, and Violence Against Women aims to outline and review social housing options and access to related resources available to women who have experienced domestic violence. The organization also brings attention to the difficulties that they face when navigating through systems to avoid homelessness and access safe, affordable housing. The research behind the publication drew upon a wide range of sources, including provincial policies and legislation, government reports, policy papers, nongovernmental organization (NGO) reports, and more.
Read the discussion paper here.
Could New York City Tackle Homelessness By Utilizing Vacant Property?
The thousands of unoccupied or underused buildings and lots of land across NYC are being described as "resources hidden in plain sight." Letitia James, Ydanis Rodriguez, and Jumaane Williams of City & State New York propose that the city utilize vacant property to create long-term permanent housing solutions for those experiencing homelessness. They also call attention to the notion that long-term housing solutions are said to be more cost-effective than relying primarily on temporarily sheltering this population. According to the city's most recent annual count, homelessness has increased by 40% over the past year. A collaborative survey conducted by Hunter College and Picture the Homeless found that just one-third of the city's vacant property could house nearly 200,000 people of that growing population.
Read the article here.
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