Poll: Most Americans now see homeless people in their area every week
A full 54% of Americans now say they "see homeless people in the area where [they] live" at least once a week, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll — and the same number (54%) say they support "building more affordable housing in [their] area" to help address the issue. Unsurprisingly, Americans who live in cities tend to encounter homeless people more often; just over two-thirds of (68%) of those who self-identify as city dwellers say they see homeless people every week, compared to 50% of those who live in suburbs. Overall, one-third of U.S. adults (33%) say they see homeless people in their area every day. More Americans than not, meanwhile, sense that homelessness is increasing: 50% say they see more unhoused people in their area than in the past, while just 9% say they see fewer. As one might expect, Democrats and Republicans don’t view the various causes of homelessness in precisely the same light.
wftv.comUS homeless numbers stay about the same as before pandemic
The figure was nearly the same as it was in a survey conducted in early 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit the nation hard. The federal plan highlights racial and other disparities that have led to inequity in homelessness. The new count was heavily anticipated because the 2021 survey was incomplete due to the pandemic. While the individual tallies normally take place in late January, many were pushed back to February or March because of the pandemic. The local reports compiled into the national data showed the numbers rose some places and fell in others.
wftv.comUS homeless numbers stay about the same as before pandemic
President Joe Biden's administration announced Monday it is ramping up efforts to help house people now sleeping on sidewalks, in tents and cars as a new federal report confirms what's obvious to people in many cities: Homelessness is persisting despite increased local efforts. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said that in federally required tallies taken across the country earlier this year, about 582,000 people were counted as homeless — a number that misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family because they do not have a place of their own. The administration aims to lower that by 25% by 2025.
news.yahoo.comLocal nonprofit in need of donations as homelessness on the rise
ORLANDO, Fla. — Homelessness is on the rise across the nation, and while donations to food banks and homeless shelters are usually steady this time of year, they don’t last long. Christian Service Center, a local nonprofit, told Channel 9 the donations it’s getting now have to last for months. According to the Christian Service Center, it receives at least 70% of its food donations in the last six weeks of the year. “We need items that are easily opened for people that don’t have can openers,” Hampton said. “We need pop-top food items.
wftv.comSome California counties winding down hotels for homeless
But counties say that with some federal relief funding expiring soon or its status uncertain, it's time to transition residents from expensive hotel rooms to cheaper, more stable housing. California is one of several states, including Washington, that turned to hotels to shelter homeless people as the virus took hold. The department has said it plans to move homeless people out of all 29 hotels by June. Russ Heimerich, spokesman with the state's Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, says counties have resources to continue housing homeless people in hotels. They say hotel residents have flourished with regular checkups and meals.
Central Florida coalition expects to see uptick in homelessness once eviction moratorium expires
ORLANDO, Fla. – A local coalition fighting homelessness in Central Florida is preparing more resources as Gov. DeSantis' order on certain real estate evictions lifts Thursday, meaning more people could potentially face homelessness. There aren’t enough of them for all of the homeless folks in the community,” Krall said. They also provide resources for about 25 children who need a place to connect for online schooling. At the moment, the coalition is taking in individual volunteers but not group volunteers.
New homelessness agency could open by July 1
A new interlocal agreement creates the Ocala/Marion County Joint Office on Homelessness. The Ocala/Marion County Joint Office on Homelessness inched closer to reality on Tuesday when the County Commission approved an interlocal agreement with the City of Ocala. The governing board, called the Marion County Continuum of Care (CoC), voted 19-13 to create the new agency, called the Ocala/Marion County Joint Office on Homelessness. Meanwhile, the Marion County Homeless Council will continue to serve as the lead agency until the new agency kicks in. It also recommended that the Homeless Council should no longer serve as both the lead agency and as a direct services provider.
ocala.comNew homelessness office could open by July 1
A new interlocal agreement creates the Ocala/Marion County Joint Office on Homelessness. The Ocala/Marion County Joint Office on Homelessness inched closer to reality on Tuesday when the County Commission approved an interlocal agreement with the city of Ocala. The governing board, called the Marion County Continuum of Care (CoC), voted 19-13 to create the new agency, called the Ocala/Marion County Joint Office on Homelessness. That vote means the Marion County Homeless Council, which has provided oversight for years, will no longer be the lead agency when the new office opens. Meanwhile, the Marion County Homeless Council will continue to serve as the lead agency until the new agency kicks in.
ocala.comHousing First: A permanent housing program for the chronically homeless
No rules, no conditions, just a place to live through Housing First, a unique program aimed at helping the chronically homeless find permanent housing with no strings attached. "The shelter system is dangerous and unreliable...people need permanent housing that is not contingent on meeting certain milestones," says Executive Director of the Downtown Emergency Services Center in Seattle (DESC), Daniel Malone. "People deserve time and investment, they deserve something as simple as permanent housing so they can start living." The program has also been shown to have economic incentives for municipalities, proposing that permanent housing for the chronic homeless is more cost effective than paying for their hospital visits, jail time or array of expensive services. "That's just not how it works: people deserve time and investment, they deserve something as simple as permanent housing so they can start living."
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