homelessness

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In Big City Mayor Elections, Homeless Crisis Looms Large

Candidates, mostly Democrats and in the West, vary widely on how to solve a difficult problem

(Newser) - San Francisco Mayor London Breed has launched a crackdown on people sleeping outside in a campaign to clear homeless encampments. Her four challengers in November's election, all Democrats, say she hasn't handled the crisis effectively, though the city last month counted only 300 tents and other temporary structures,...

Atlanta Is Down to One Community Fridge

Modern Farmer looks at the mutual aid project, and what complications arise

(Newser) - In 2020, six community refrigerators were installed across Atlanta thanks to the work of local activist Latisha Springer. Four years on, Springer has since moved from the city, and only one fridge remains. Writing at Modern Farmer , Sarah Gleim takes a look at the ups and downs of maintaining the...

California Just Made a Big Move on Homelessness
California Just Made a Big
Move on Homelessness
the rundown
Jul 25, 2024 12:54 PM CDT

California Just Made a Big Move on Homelessness

Gov. Newsom orders state agencies to start dismantling encampments

(Newser) - Emboldened by a major Supreme Court decision in June, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has just taken a big step toward removing many of the state's homeless encampments:
  • New order: Newsom issued an executive order telling state agencies to take down encampments within their jurisdictions, reports the Los Angeles Times
...

SCOTUS OKs Ban on Homeless People Sleeping Outdoors

In 6-3 ruling, Supreme Court justices find that such restrictions don't violate Eighth Amendment

(Newser) - The Supreme Court is wrapping up its current session with a deluge of high-profile cases , and on Friday, it added even more rulings to the mix. Among them: a 6-3 decision by the high court to allow US cities to enforce restrictions on homeless people sleeping outside, overturning a San...

You've Heard All About the 'Roof Ninja.' Now Meet Her

Footage released of unusual encounter in Michigan between cops, woman living in sign on store's roof

(Newser) - A woman who said she'd lived in a sign perched atop a Michigan grocery store for about a year is no longer living there after being busted by cops last month, but her first contact with the law was caught on video and is now circulating, reports MLive.com...

He Couldn't Afford a House, So He Bought an Ambulance

'Los Angeles Times' profiles one of the thousands of locals living out of their vehicles

(Newser) - Sky-high housing costs in California have forced thousands of people to live out of their vehicles. In Los Angeles County alone, the official count in 2023 was about 14,000, up 9% from the previous year. At the Los Angeles Times , Jack Flemming illustrates the issue with a profile of...

Woman Secretly Lived Inside Store Sign for a Year

Police in Michigan say she had a computer and coffee maker in there

(Newser) - Contractors curious about an extension cord on the roof of a Michigan grocery store made a startling discovery: A 34-year-old woman was living inside the business sign, with enough space for a computer, printer, and coffee maker, police said. The woman, whose name was not released, told police she had...

His Idea to Help Homeless: Offering Space in Own Home

'Guardian' profiles a former crack addict who has turned into an 'unlikely do-gooder'

(Newser) - Stuart Potts is a 43-year-old former crack addict who has been in and out of prison much of his adult life. But as a profile in the Guardian reveals, he also is an "unlikely do-gooder" in an unusual way: Over the last few years, he has opened up his...

SCOTUS Appears Split on Law Against Sleeping Outside

Critics say Oregon town's law criminalizes homelessness

(Newser) - Liberal and conservative justices on the Supreme Court appeared to be split Monday on a major case dealing with homelessness—and with a conservative majority on the court, it appears poised to rule in favor of allowing cities to make their own rules. The case involves a challenge to a...

Rural Oregon Town Becomes Face of Homelessness

Case involving homeless camps in Grants Pass is going to the Supreme Court

(Newser) - A pickleball game in the leafy Oregon community was suddenly interrupted one rainy weekend morning by the arrival of an ambulance. After paramedics rushed through the park toward a tent, one of dozens illegally erected by the town's hundreds of homeless people, play resumed as though nothing had happened....

Audit: California Can't Tell if Homelessness Efforts Worked

State didn't regularly track billions spent on programs, report says

(Newser) - California spent $24 billion to tackle homelessness over the past five years but didn't consistently track whether the spending actually helped alleviate the problem, according to a state audit released Tuesday. With makeshift tents lining the streets and disrupting businesses throughout the state, homelessness has become one of the...

She Disappeared at 8, Changed DC Forever
She Disappeared at 8,
Changed DC Forever
longform
Mar 23, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

She Disappeared at 8, Changed DC Forever

'Washington Post' revisits the tragic case of Relisha Rudd, a decade after she vanished

(Newser) - Ten years ago this month, a social worker at Relisha Rudd's Washington, DC, elementary school went to the homeless shelter where the 8-year-old lived with her family, concerned because she'd been absent for 10 days. He wanted to talk to the person listed as Relisha's doctor, Kahlil...

Florida Law Bans Homeless People From Sleeping in Public

Bill signed by DeSantis this week says cities can create authorized camps if shelters are full

(Newser) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a law banning homeless people from sleeping overnight in public places including parks and sidewalks. HB 1365 says cities and counties can set up government-run camps if shelters are full. DeSantis and other Republicans say the legislation will help provide unsheltered people with "...

States With Highest, Lowest 'Unsheltered' Rates

California has the most, at nearly 70%, but most of New York's homeless are in shelters

(Newser) - Homelessness in the US is increasing, and more details are surfacing from the latest batch of federal numbers . The big takeaway stat is that an estimated 653,000 were homeless on a single day in January 2023, the largest figure since that "point in time" method of counting began...

Here Are the Neediest US Cities
This Is the Neediest
City in America
Dec 19, 2023 10:50 AM CST

This Is the Neediest City in America

Detroit could use some help combatting poverty, unemployment, per WalletHub

(Newser) - It's the time of year when we're thankful for the abundance in our lives—and, hopefully, we try to think of others who aren't so fortunate. WalletHub looked at more than 180 US cities to see which ones suffer most from economic disarray, including through homelessness, food...

US Homelessness Reaches All-Time High

Many are without shelter for the first time

(Newser) - The United States experienced a dramatic 12% increase in homelessness to its highest reported level as soaring rents and a decline in coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans, federal officials said Friday.
  • Main number: About 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness, the most
...

Cities Across US Struggle With Homeless Encampments

Advocates say police sweeps are not the answer, but long-term solutions are elusive

(Newser) - Tossing tent poles, blankets, and a duffel bag into a shopping cart and three wagons, Will Taylor spent a summer morning helping friends tear down what had been their home and that of about a dozen others in Portland, Oregon. It wasn't the first time and wouldn't be...

Gunman Kills 1, Wounds 5 at Homeless Encampment
Cops: Killer of Homeless
in LA Has Been Caught
UPDATED
Dec 3, 2023 7:47 AM CST

Cops: Killer of Homeless in LA Has Been Caught

Police in Las Vegas continue to search for gunman in shootings there

(Newser) - A Los Angeles man has been identified as the suspect in three recent killings of homeless men. Police Chief Michel Moore said Saturday that Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, was identified as the suspect in the killings after authorities determined a firearm found in a vehicle he was driving was linked...

LA Tests $1K Monthly Payment to Prevent Homelessness

Early data suggests pilot program using artificial intelligence to identify those at risk is working

(Newser) - While some fear artificial intelligence will steal their likeness, work, and jobs, Los Angeles hopes the technology will prevent 20 net people from falling into homelessness each day. "On average, for every 207 individuals who exit homelessness daily, 227 more enter," reads a report cited by KTLA . To...

California Counties Open Mental Health Courts

Newsom says the program is meant to address homelessness crisis

(Newser) - An alternative mental health court program designed to fast-track people with untreated schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders into housing and medical care—potentially without their consent—kicked off in seven California counties, including San Francisco, on Monday. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom created the new civil court process, called "CARE...

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