Homelessness

Under the Boardwalk officials vow to address homelessness in Atlantic City

Atlantic City is making an effort to address its homeless population, offering help even while vowing to crack down on people sleeping outdoors on public property.

Divided Supreme Court rules in major homelessness case that outdoor sleeping bans are OK

Record numbers in the US are homeless. Can cities fine them for sleeping in parks and on sidewalks?

How effective are California’s homelessness programs? Audit finds state hasn’t been keeping track

California homelessness measure’s razor-thin win signals growing voter fatigue

Former homeless, Seattle City Attorney react to Supreme Court ruling on homelessness

Two formerly homeless Seattle women said a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court allowing cities to enforce bans on camping on streets and in parks left them heartbroken and could lead to more people outside.

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Homeless man ponders upcoming general election amid UK housing crisis

Retrofitted shipping containers offer a blueprint for tackling homelessness

Demonstrators show support for the homeless as Supreme Court hears case

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California voters pass measure pushed by governor to tackle homelessness crisis in razor-thin win

California voters have approved a measure that Gov. Gavin Newson says he needs to tackle the state’s homelessness crisis.

Florida homeless to be banned from sleeping in public spaces under DeSantis-backed law

Florida’s homeless will be banned from sleeping in public spaces such as sidewalks and parks under a law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Kentucky lawmakers dine with homeless people as they consider creating unlawful camping offense

Some Kentucky lawmakers shared a meal of fried chicken and green beans with people who could be most affected by a bill to make sleeping on a sidewalk or under a bridge illegal.

New California Senate leader says his priorities are climate change, homelessness and opioid crises

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — When California Sen. Mike McGuire takes over as leader of the state Senate on Monday, it will be the first time in decades that the state’s top two legislative leaders aren’t from a major urban center.

Annual count of homeless residents begins in Los Angeles, where tens of thousands live on streets

Los Angeles County’s annual count of homeless residents is under way. The tally is a crucial part of the region’s efforts to confront the crisis of tens of thousands of people living on the streets.

Homeless numbers in Los Angeles could surge again, even as thousands move to temporary shelter

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has moved over 21,000 homeless people into temporary shelter in the last year. Dozens of drug-plagued street encampments have been cleared.

US homelessness up 12% to highest reported level as rents soar and coronavirus pandemic aid lapses

The United States has experienced a 12% increase in homelessness, to its highest reported level. Federal officials Friday said soaring rents and a winding down of coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans.

Nonprofits making progress in tackling homelessness among veterans, but challenges remain

Government agencies and nonprofits around the country have long been working to reduce the numbers of homeless veterans. And they’ve had notable success.

District attorney threatens to charge officials in California’s capital over homelessness response

The district attorney in Sacramento is threatening officials in California’s capital city with legal actions over the city’s handling of the homelessness crisis.

Texas man ticketed for feeding the homeless outside Houston library is found not guilty

A man has been found not guilty of breaking a law against feeding homeless people outside a public library in Houston, Texas.

Blackfeet tribe of Montana declares emergency over Medicaid scam that lured members to Arizona

A widespread Medicaid scam that has left an unknown number of Native Americans homeless in metro Phoenix is being declared a public health state of emergency by the Blackfeet Nation of Montana after the Navajo Nation took similar action in June.

Anchorage homeless face cold and bears. A plan to offer one-way airfare out reveals a bigger crisis

A proposal by the mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, to fly homeless people to warmer climates or other Alaska cities underscores the homeless crisis affecting the state’s largest city, and the very unique dangers faced by the unsheltered in an extreme environment.

Schools lost track of homeless kids during the pandemic. Many face a steep path to recovery

Homeless kids often fell through the cracks during the tumult of the pandemic, when many schools struggled to keep track of families with unstable housing.

Prince William launches 5-year project to end long-term homelessness in the UK

Prince William is launching a five-year project to end long-term homelessness in the United Kingdom.

New study says high housing costs, low income push Californians into homelessness

A new study by the University of California, San Francisco shows that homeless people in California were struggling with poor health and deep poverty before becoming homeless.

Georgia lawmakers: Localities must apply homeless camp bans

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers are telling cities and counties that they must enforce existing bans on public camping or sleeping by homeless people while saying local governments and hospitals can’t dump homeless people in other counties without permission.

Oregon lawmakers approve $200M for housing, homelessness

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers passed a sweeping $200 million housing and homelessness package on Tuesday, displaying a bipartisan will to tackle two of the state’s most pressing crises.

Georgia House seeks more improvements to mental health

ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia House is pushing forward a plan aimed at doing more to recruit mental health care workers, and finding ways to help people who bounce between hospitals, jails and homelessness.

Oregon lawmakers propose $200M for homelessness, housing

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers in Oregon have proposed a $200 million spending package to tackle homelessness and housing as the state struggles to build more homes and move a growing number of people off the streets.

Pritzker calls for universal preschool in Illinois by 2027

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov. J.B. Pritzker called Wednesday for making preschool available to every 3- and 4-year-old in Illinois within four years, arguing that the state’s improved financial picture allows it to not only invest in early education but also take on such problems as homelessness and

Georgia bill would allow state to create homeless camps

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia cities and counties could be compelled to enforce bans on public camping or sleeping by homeless people under a bill moving forward in the state Senate.

Why ‘Point-in-Time’ count of Brevard’s homeless matters

MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) — Carl Brown has no permanent address, much less a kitchen and dinner table.

But on a recent Monday night, the setting sun blazing orange behind him, the 49-year-old Titusville man came rolling through Sand Point Park in his wheelchair to join others for a chicken and noodles dinner and some companionship near the A. Max Brewer bridge.

Oregon’s new governor requests $1B for housing spending

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s recently inaugurated Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek plans to ask lawmakers to allocate more than $1 billion to housing and hundreds of millions more to mental health and education, unveiling her strategy for tackling the state’s most pressing crises in a budget proposal relea

Massachusetts bill would boost spending on emergency housing

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey unveiled a $282 million supplemental spending plan Monday that includes $85 million to help pay for the state’s emergency assistance program and other services for eligible families in need of shelter.

Oregon lawmakers show signs of bipartisan harmony — for now

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers in both the Democratic and Republican parties named housing, homelessness and mental health as top priorities on Tuesday as they began the 2023 legislative session on a note of relative bipartisan good will.

For some without a home, airport is source of shelter

SEATTLE (AP) — The homelessness crisis in Seattle is often highly visible, with many people living in camps, tents, and RVs.

Housing, mental health: Oregon lawmakers face linked crises

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers will take up a full slate of legislation on pressing and polarizing issues from homelessness to gun control to drugs when the legislative session starts next week after midterm elections that cost Democrats their supermajority but swept in a new, progressive go

‘A man-made disaster': Oregon’s new governor tackles housing

Oregon’s newly sworn-in Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek signed three executive orders to tackle the state’s housing and homelessness crises on her first full day in office Tuesday.

California budget: More for homelessness, less for climate

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday proposed a $297 billion budget, prioritizing money to address homelessness and education while cutting some climate spending amid a projected $22.5 billion budget deficit.

Oregon’s new governor sworn in, declares homeless emergency

Liberal Democrat Tina Kotek unveiled measures to combat homelessness as she was sworn in as Oregon’s new governor.