Liberal U.S. cities change course, now clearing homeless camps
2 years, 9 months ago

Liberal U.S. cities change course, now clearing homeless camps

LA Times  

Makeshift shelters abut busy roadways, tent cities line sidewalks, tarps cover broken-down cars, and sleeping bags are tucked in storefront doorways. Wheeler has now used emergency powers to ban camping along certain roadways and says homelessness is the “most important issue facing our community, bar none.” Increasingly in liberal cities across the country — where people living in tents in public spaces have long been tolerated — leaders are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures to address homelessness that would have been unheard of a few years ago. She said it’s time to get aggressive and “less tolerant of all the bull— that has destroyed our city.” In Sacramento, voters may decide on multiple proposed homeless-related ballot measures in November — including prohibiting people from storing “hazardous waste,” such as needles and feces, on public and private property, and requiring the city to create thousands of shelter beds. “Everywhere that there is a high population of homeless people, we started to see this as their response.” Portland’s homeless crisis has grown increasingly visible in recent years. “So I approach this from a sense of urgency.” Wheeler’s top advisor — Sam Adams, a former Portland mayor — has also outlined a controversial plan that would force up to 3,000 homeless people into massive temporary shelters staffed by Oregon National Guard members.

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History of this topic

US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people
Trending News
2 weeks ago

US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

Associated Press  

The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. “No American should face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring every family has access …

Portland, Oregon, swears in new government and mayor who campaigned to end homelessness
3 weeks, 1 day ago

Portland, Oregon, swears in new government and mayor who campaigned to end homelessness

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — A businessman with no experience in public office is taking over as mayor of Oregon’s biggest city as it embraces an entirely new system of government — one that’s so different, the City Council chambers had to be completely renovated. “Now it’s time for Portland’s new leadership to meet the moment we now face and solve the …

Can ordinary citizens solve our toughest problems?
4 weeks, 2 days ago

Can ordinary citizens solve our toughest problems?

Associated Press  

BEND, OREGON — Eliza Wilson is a little nervous as she draws the microphone close, but she is determined to share her life story. “I first experienced homelessness when I was 5 years old.” Wilson, who’s 36, leads programs focused on unhoused youth. In Colorado’s Montrose County, enacting an assembly’s bold ideas for improving rural day care has been “more …

Can ordinary citizens solve our toughest problems?
4 weeks, 2 days ago

Can ordinary citizens solve our toughest problems?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “I first experienced homelessness when I was 5 years …

Opinion: On homelessness, liberal California and the ultraconservative Supreme Court largely agree
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Opinion: On homelessness, liberal California and the ultraconservative Supreme Court largely agree

LA Times  

What does a small, solidly Republican city in Oregon have in common with California’s largest liberal enclaves? California’s response to the ruling has become a vivid reminder of not just the intractability of the homelessness epidemic but also the tension between national liberal politics and local policy in Democratic-dominated states and cities. Roughly 84% of the state’s voters believe homelessness …

A radical reshaping of L.A. County’s homeless services system is proposed
1 month, 2 weeks ago

A radical reshaping of L.A. County’s homeless services system is proposed

LA Times  

Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian, from right, and L.A. County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger join other volunteers to count the homeless in North Hollywood on Jan. 23. Responding to long-standing dissatisfaction over the effectiveness of homelessness programs, Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger are proposing a new county department that would take over hundreds of millions …

Trump takes a hard line on homelessness. Why L.A. Mayor Karen Bass hopes to find common ground
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Trump takes a hard line on homelessness. Why L.A. Mayor Karen Bass hopes to find common ground

LA Times  

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to arrest thousands of homeless people sleeping in American streets and move them to large tent cities on “inexpensive land,” one of several planks of his agenda that would upend a national strategy that focuses on finding people housing on a voluntary basis. But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who is trying to combat one …

Trump would like to bring back mental institutions, but experts are skeptical
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Trump would like to bring back mental institutions, but experts are skeptical

NPR  

Trump would like to bring back mental institutions, but experts are skeptical toggle caption Qian Weizhon/VCG via Getty Images Donald Trump has promised a law-and-order approach to policy of all kinds — including the question of how to help people struggling with mental illness, substance use disorder and homelessness. His plan includes banning "urban camping," returning people to "mental institutions …

The under-the-radar proposal to end homelessness in Los Angeles for $20 billion
3 months, 4 weeks ago

The under-the-radar proposal to end homelessness in Los Angeles for $20 billion

LA Times  

A homeless man waits for transportation to housing as Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe program employees along with the Sanitation Bureau clean up homeless encampments along Hollywood Boulevard and Gower Street in Hollywood in August. It would cost $20.4 billion to end homelessness in Los Angeles in a decade, a price tag requiring local, state and federal governments to more …

Everyone agrees there’s a homeless crisis in the US. Plans to address it vary among mayor candidates
5 months ago

Everyone agrees there’s a homeless crisis in the US. Plans to address it vary among mayor candidates

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Mayor London Breed has launched a new crackdown on people sleeping outside in a campaign to clear the sidewalks of homeless encampments that have come to define the city. “You can truly change the reputation of San Francisco from a place that today people believe they can come to our city, pitch a tent and …

As San Francisco cracks down on homeless encampments, a question rises: Where will people go?
5 months, 1 week ago

As San Francisco cracks down on homeless encampments, a question rises: Where will people go?

LA Times  

Outreach workers, backed by law enforcement officers, have fanned out across San Francisco in recent days in targeted efforts to dismantle some of the city’s most visible encampments. A week into what Mayor London Breed has called a “very aggressive” effort to clear homeless encampments across San Francisco, a key question looms: Where will the people living in those tents …

San Francisco police and street cleaners take aggressive approach to clearing homeless encampments
5 months, 1 week ago

San Francisco police and street cleaners take aggressive approach to clearing homeless encampments

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Police in San Francisco will start clearing out homeless residents living in public areas under new policies announced Tuesday by the office of Mayor London Breed, who has pledged a more aggressive approach to tent encampments following a key U.S. Supreme Court decision. In a memo, Breed’s office said city workers will continue offering housing and services …

San Francisco police and street cleaners take aggressive approach to clearing homeless encampments
5 months, 1 week ago

San Francisco police and street cleaners take aggressive approach to clearing homeless encampments

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Police in San Francisco will …

Taking cue from Supreme Court, Breed to launch aggressive homeless sweeps in San Francisco
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Taking cue from Supreme Court, Breed to launch aggressive homeless sweeps in San Francisco

LA Times  

James Reem has lived in a tent on the corner of Fell and Baker streets for more than a year. “They’re not concerned about the homeless,” James Reem said of San Francisco’s plans for encampment sweeps. “They’re concerned about getting rid of us.” His adopted neighborhood is among dozens of sites likely to be targeted as the city launches what …

Some cities facing homelessness crisis applaud Supreme Court decision, while others push back
6 months, 1 week ago

Some cities facing homelessness crisis applaud Supreme Court decision, while others push back

Associated Press  

SEATTLE — A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court allowing cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces will allow San Francisco to begin clearing homeless encampments that have plagued the city, the mayor said Friday as she applauded the ruling. Cody Bowman, a spokesperson for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat who has seen his two terms …

Editorial: Drop in L.A.’s homeless population shows efforts to house people are paying off
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Editorial: Drop in L.A.’s homeless population shows efforts to house people are paying off

LA Times  

Wah Chen, 52, counts a homeless man sleeping next to his tent while participating in the second night of the 2024 Los Angeles County homeless count on Jan. 24. The results of the 2024 point-in-time homeless count released Friday show a 2.2% drop in the population of unhoused people living in the city of Los Angeles, from 46,260 in 2023 …

Portland, Oregon, OKs new homeless camping rules that threaten fines or jail in some cases
8 months ago

Portland, Oregon, OKs new homeless camping rules that threaten fines or jail in some cases

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — Homeless people who camp on public property in Portland, Oregon, and reject offers of shelter could be fined up to $100 or sentenced to up to seven days in jail under new rules approved unanimously by the City Council on Wednesday. The mayor’s office said the new rules seek to comply with a state law that requires …

Opinion: Why is California behind Texas and other states in curbing homelessness?
9 months ago

Opinion: Why is California behind Texas and other states in curbing homelessness?

LA Times  

Rent is surging nationwide. Texas cities also stand out: Last year, the Houston metropolitan area achieved the lowest rate of homelessness of any major U.S. city, with just 52 people per 100,000 residents experiencing homelessness. Meanwhile, five of the top 10 major cities with the highest rates of homelessness nationally are in California: San Francisco, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland …

One year on, has the mayor of LA finally put a dent in homelessness?
1 year ago

One year on, has the mayor of LA finally put a dent in homelessness?

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery The Palm Tree Inn …

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

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

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — In the hours after being elected mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass made a promise that will be an inescapable metric of her time in office: “We are going to solve homelessness.” The Democratic member of Congress, who had been on then-candidate Joe Biden’s short list for vice president, envisioned streets clear of more than 40,000 homeless …

Column: Is L.A. actually solving homelessness? The answer will start with perception, not reality
1 year, 1 month ago

Column: Is L.A. actually solving homelessness? The answer will start with perception, not reality

LA Times  

Mayor Karen Bass, accompanied by HUD official Richard J. Monocchio, left, and City Councilmembers Nithya Raman, far left, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Bob Blumenfield, speak to reporters in Hollywood on Wednesday. “I do really worry that it’s become normalized in public discourse to speak about people experiencing homelessness as, like, a problem for those who are not homeless — as opposed …

Cities crack down on homeless encampments. Advocates say that’s not the answer
1 year, 1 month ago

Cities crack down on homeless encampments. Advocates say that’s not the answer

LA Times  

A woman gathers possessions to take before a homeless encampment was cleaned up this summer in San Francisco. State and local laws criminalizing homelessness are on the rise, said Scout Katovich, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of sweeps and property seizures in a dozen cities, including Miami, Anchorage and …

Cities crack down on homeless encampments. Advocates say that’s not the answer
1 year, 1 month ago

Cities crack down on homeless encampments. Advocates say that’s not the answer

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It can get hard,” said …

Cities crack down on homeless encampments. Advocates say that’s not the answer
1 year, 1 month ago

Cities crack down on homeless encampments. Advocates say that’s not the answer

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It can get hard,” said Taylor, 32, who has …

San Diego considers banning homeless encampments
1 year, 7 months ago

San Diego considers banning homeless encampments

LA Times  

A row of tents on Sports Arena Boulevard in January 2022. Submitted by City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, the proposed ordinance would prohibit people from camping on public property if shelter options are available, but it also would ban camping on certain property, such as public parks, even if no legal shelters are available. Concern that the ordinance could push homeless …

Portland mulls ban on daytime camping amid sharp rise in homelessness
1 year, 7 months ago

Portland mulls ban on daytime camping amid sharp rise in homelessness

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — City Council members in Portland were considering on Wednesday whether to ban homeless camping during daytime hours in most public places, a move that aims to bring the city into compliance with a new state law and appease the growing number of residents frustrated by a deepening yearslong homelessness crisis. But while there appears to be an …

Trump reveals new homelessness policy: Tent cities for rehabilitation and jail for those who refuse
1 year, 8 months ago

Trump reveals new homelessness policy: Tent cities for rehabilitation and jail for those who refuse

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former …

Editorial: If California cities want homeless funding, they better stop blocking housing
1 year, 8 months ago

Editorial: If California cities want homeless funding, they better stop blocking housing

LA Times  

The Dolores Huerta apartments, a 40-unit permanent supportive housing complex, along the 5200 block of South Figueroa Street on Oct. 10, 2022, in Los Angeles. Last week, city and county officials from across the state rallied in Sacramento to demand $3 billion in annual state funding to ease homelessness and build affordable housing. The homelessness crisis in California is a …

Editorial: Is L.A.’s anti-camping law getting homeless people off sidewalks and into housing? Let’s find out
1 year, 10 months ago

Editorial: Is L.A.’s anti-camping law getting homeless people off sidewalks and into housing? Let’s find out

LA Times  

Nearly two years ago, the Los Angeles City Council passed a controversial ordinance that banned camping by homeless people near schools, day-care centers and parks as well as any other locations that council members wanted to decree off-limits. In tandem with the anti-camping law, the City Council adopted a street engagement strategy whereby people would be told to leave an …

Letters to the Editor: Portland’s identity crisis is really a housing crisis
1 year, 10 months ago

Letters to the Editor: Portland’s identity crisis is really a housing crisis

LA Times  

A man sits in his tent with a river view in Portland, Ore., in 2021. To the editor: By looking mostly at policing, homelessness and drug addiction to answer to the question, “What’s the matter with Portland?”, we overlook a huge piece of the puzzle — a lack of affordable housing. The housing crisis drives poverty, homelessness and crime, and …

Editorial: Yes, it really will take billions of dollars a year to solve homelessness in California
1 year, 11 months ago

Editorial: Yes, it really will take billions of dollars a year to solve homelessness in California

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom has said that addressing homelessness is his top priority. The Corporation for Supportive Housing put out a report last month estimating that the state needed to invest $8.1 billion a year over 12 years to solve homelessness in California. The League of California Cities last month wrote a letter to the governor asking for “a permanent funding stream …

Long Beach’s new mayor calls for state of emergency to tackle homelessness
2 years ago

Long Beach’s new mayor calls for state of emergency to tackle homelessness

LA Times  

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson’s call on Wednesday for city officials to draft an emergency declaration on homelessness is in lockstep with Los Angeles, where newly elected Mayor Karen Bass made a similar declaration last week. Just hours after being sworn in, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson asked city officials Wednesday to draft an emergency declaration on homelessness, a move …

New LA mayor Bass declares homeless emergency as term begins
2 years ago

New LA mayor Bass declares homeless emergency as term begins

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass began her first day in office Monday by declaring a state of emergency to grapple with the city’s out-of-control homeless crisis, bidding to move swiftly to get thousands of unhoused people off her city’s streets. Despite more than $1.2 billion in spending for homeless programs in the current city budget, there is …

Mayor: Boston is succeeding in reducing youth homelessness
2 years, 1 month ago

Mayor: Boston is succeeding in reducing youth homelessness

Associated Press  

Boston has experienced a significant decrease in youth homelessness in the three years since receiving $4.7 million in federal funds to combat homelessness among young adults. There has been a 44% drop in individual youth homelessness, defined as unaccompanied individuals between 18 to 24, compared to the number of young people experiencing homelessness on a single night from 2019 to …

Homelessness: Oregon’s next governor focuses on vexing issue
2 years, 1 month ago

Homelessness: Oregon’s next governor focuses on vexing issue

Associated Press  

SALEM, Ore. — Signs of the housing crisis in Oregon are widespread: cluttered tent encampments in city parks, and along bike trails and sidewalks, as well as people living in parked recreational vehicles. He will meet with local officials on Friday to “review the state’s collective approach to homelessness.” On Nov. 3, the city council of Portland, Oregon, voted to …

Cities seek to control camping amid growing homeless crisis
2 years, 2 months ago

Cities seek to control camping amid growing homeless crisis

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — The tents proliferating on sidewalks in downtown and residential neighborhoods across Portland, Oregon, are fueling a debate that’s playing out in cities nationwide as the homelessness crisis in the U.S. explodes: Should camping be banned anywhere except in sanctioned sites? “What’s starting to happen is that the way to immediately address an issue that is at its …

Oregon mayor to ban homeless camps on Portland streets
2 years, 2 months ago

Oregon mayor to ban homeless camps on Portland streets

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — The mayor of Portland, Oregon, plans to ban camping on city streets and move unhoused people to designated campsites, as the growing homeless population has become the top concern for the vast majority of residents. “We need to move our scattered, vulnerable homeless population closer to the services that they need.” The resolution would establish at least …

‘Not safe anymore’: Portland confronts the limits of its support for homeless services
2 years, 6 months ago

‘Not safe anymore’: Portland confronts the limits of its support for homeless services

LA Times  

Paul Hunter has taken to sleeping on the roof of his RV, parked along a stretch of Northeast 33rd Drive in Portland, Ore. “There’s always somebody giving away free tents, sleeping bags, clothes, water, sandwiches, three meals a day — it’s all here.” Portland, like Los Angeles, Sacramento and much of the San Francisco Bay Area, has experienced a conspicuous …

Many homeless people resist group shelters even as L.A. mayoral candidates push to build more
2 years, 8 months ago

Many homeless people resist group shelters even as L.A. mayoral candidates push to build more

LA Times  

Loryn Montag, a homeless engagement team member with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, takes Michael Watson to a tiny-house village as a sanitation crew prepares to remove a homeless encampment from the sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on April 5. The Los Angeles mayoral primary has seen candidates throwing big numbers around concerning how much shelter they’d …

L.A.’s mayoral candidates agree homeless encampments need to go. The question is how
3 years, 1 month ago

L.A.’s mayoral candidates agree homeless encampments need to go. The question is how

LA Times  

Facing an enormous public outcry to solve homelessness in Los Angeles, nearly all of the leading candidates for mayor in 2022 agree on at least one thing: The problem of thousands of people sleeping in tents and RVs across the city is a crisis deserving of a disaster-level response. They said the city also needs to continue building permanent housing …

‘Gimme Shelter’: Sacramento plans to give homeless residents the right to housing
3 years, 1 month ago

‘Gimme Shelter’: Sacramento plans to give homeless residents the right to housing

LA Times  

Over the past few years, California governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the state’s homelessness problem, but progress has been hard to see. A new poll by the Los Angeles Business Council Institute in cooperation with The Times, found that 79% of Los Angeles County voters believe that homelessness problems have gotten worse recently. The poll also …

Column: Ban homeless encampments everywhere? It might have more support than liberals think
3 years, 1 month ago

Column: Ban homeless encampments everywhere? It might have more support than liberals think

LA Times  

An encampment of RVs along West Jefferson Boulevard in Playa del Rey in June. :: I thought about my conversation with Culbertson while listening to L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino on Tuesday, as he pitched a specious ballot measure that would bar homeless people from sleeping or camping in all public spaces if they have turned down shelter or housing. …

L.A. just changed its entire approach to homelessness. Does it place politics above need?
3 years, 2 months ago

L.A. just changed its entire approach to homelessness. Does it place politics above need?

LA Times  

The city of Los Angeles has undertaken a major shift in its approach to homelessness, one that puts a priority on clearing unsightly street encampments even when insufficient permanent housing exists for the people being moved. This balance, he said, was made possible by the expansion of outreach and services for homeless people, and the development of new housing and …

Buscaino wants L.A. voters to decide whether to bar homeless encampments in public spaces
3 years, 4 months ago

Buscaino wants L.A. voters to decide whether to bar homeless encampments in public spaces

LA Times  

Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino, pictured in June in Venice, says he wants voters to decide how the city responds to sidewalk homeless encampments. Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino has begun laying the groundwork for a ballot measure that would prohibit people from sleeping or camping on sidewalks and other public spaces if they have turned down offers …

Los Angeles considers stricter limits on homeless camping
3 years, 6 months ago

Los Angeles considers stricter limits on homeless camping

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Los Angeles city leaders are …

Homeless relief is on the way, but the crisis could get worse as evictions loom
3 years, 8 months ago

Homeless relief is on the way, but the crisis could get worse as evictions loom

CNN  

Washington CNN — States and cities are racing to use the billions infederal relief aid approved by Congress to fight the growing crisis of homelessness – but the approaching end of some pandemic benefits threatens to make the problem worse. The federal government has made a historic $70 billion investment across successive Covid relief packages in helping people find and …

Biden’s plans may offer hope to L.A.’s homeless population — if Congress goes along
3 years, 11 months ago

Biden’s plans may offer hope to L.A.’s homeless population — if Congress goes along

LA Times  

After watching a homeless man beat up his girlfriend, Claudia Parola had had it. “That’s what the people who are homeless in L.A. and everywhere need most — access to affordable housing,” Yentel added. it’s achievable.” Yentel and others said that the Biden administration will have a lot of work simply re-staffing HUD and using the rule-making process to undo …

California big city mayors chat homelessness with Newsom
4 years, 10 months ago

California big city mayors chat homelessness with Newsom

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The mayors of California’s biggest cities had a “robust” discussion with Gov. He said “spending decisions have been relatively unrestricted and locally driven,” calling for a new approach because: “The results speak for themselves.” This year, instead of dividing the $750 million among the state’s local governments, Newsom wants to divide it based on 10 geographic regions …

California Cities That Don't Reduce Homelessness Could Be Sued Under New Proposal
4 years, 11 months ago

California Cities That Don't Reduce Homelessness Could Be Sued Under New Proposal

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING A California task force on homelessness, appointed by California Gov. In a report to the governor released Monday, the task force ― led by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg ― suggested that state lawmakers place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would require California’s cities and counties to make measurable progress on homelessness or risk being …

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