Brenton Lipscomb’s Post

Homelessness is not simply a consequence of personal failure but a symptom of a deeply flawed housing system that prioritizes profit over people, resulting in a severe lack of stable, affordable housing that meets people's needs. Black, Indigenous, and Brown communities — along with young people, disabled people, seniors, and LGBTQ+ people — are disproportionately affected by housing insecurity and homelessness. A stark reminder of the historical and structural inequities that underlie our society, the court’s ruling will subject the most burdened among us to further harm and indignity. “Housing is a basic human need and an American civil right. What a shame to relitigate victories already won on behalf of all people. This decision underscores the urgent need for housing policy and strategies to ensure that everyone is safely housed, equally protected, and able to thrive.” Read the full statement here: https://lnkd.in/g5m-TwcT #HousingJustice #SupremeCourtRuling #HousingFutures #Homelessness

I was contemplating the power of SCOTUS with these new decisions to claim themselves the experts on environmental matters and to criminalized poverty, mental illness, physical health bankruptcy, through the decision to allow municipalities to make houselessness and sleeping in public spaces illegal. The more power they have, the more power they take. More municipalities need to find ways to better care for the most marginalized instead of adding insult to injury through fines, fees, and incarceration. When deciders (those in power) use a racial equity analysis (lens) to make decisions, they are better equipped to center the most vulnerable, the ones they listen to least, and the ones most negatively impacted, SOULutions are found for all to benefit. My ask is of elected officials everywhere. Find humane SOULutions to the houselessness crisis. Don't further traumatized and harm those who are already living without safe, affordable, and supportive housing. #findSOULutions #Housingiasbasichumanneed

Revisiting the homeless situation in Salt Lake City and the role of The Black Flag Project, a critical assessment of the city's policies highlights some gaps. While the city has made efforts with its expanded care and affordable housing investments, there remains a pressing need for more innovative and inclusive solutions, particularly for the most marginalized and vulnerable groups, including LGBTQ+, Jewish, poor, unhoused, or otherwise marginalized individuals【78†source】【94†source】【95†source】. The Black Flag Project stands out in its approach. Driven by the principle of personal autonomy, as outlined in its bylaws, the project emphasizes individual freedom and responsibility, underscoring a unique and necessary perspective in addressing homelessness【85†source】【96†source】. The project's founder, Brandon Michael Jeanpierre, emphasizes a think tank approach to drive solutions, ensuring that all proposals are peer-reviewed and fact-based, adhering to the highest standards of evidence and ethical considerations【86†source】【88†source】【89†source】. However, a significant challenge facing The Black Flag Project is the lack of funding. Without the necessary financial support, the project's potential to complement and enhance the city's existing efforts remains unrealized. This highlights a critical gap in the community's response to homelessness – the need for innovative, community-driven solutions that are adequately supported and funded. In conclusion, while Salt Lake City's policies towards homelessness are a step in the right direction, there is a clear need for additional, innovative approaches like The Black Flag Project. These initiatives, however, require adequate funding and community support to truly make a difference.

Plymouth Stories: Sedriece, a queer nonbinary (biracial) person of color, is a learning and development specialist at Plymouth. Sedriece helps to train our employees so that we can support our most vulnerable community members as they exit homelessness. We proudly celebrate Sedriece on International Non-Binary People's Day! "Growing up, I never fit in the box quite right: not white or black enough; never feeling quite right as a girl, while knowing that I wasn't a boy. As I have gotten older, I have grown to become a person younger me never would have dreamed of—but would be in awe of. Am I exactly where I want to be? Of course not. But I can honestly say that I know who I am: I celebrate that I don’t quite fit in those boxes perfectly. It is essential to recognize and address the unique challenges faced by LGBTQIA2+ individuals—especially in housing—both as residents and workers. We have so much to give and to share. We exist and we aren’t going anywhere. I love working for Plymouth Housing because I am passionate about advocating for those who are often seen as less than human. Plymouth’s commitment to affordable housing resonates with my values of equity and social justice. It’s not just about providing a roof over someone’s head. It’s about fostering a sense of community, belonging, and dignity. Working here allows me to be part of a larger mission—a mission that goes beyond the bricks and mortar of housing. We do this work because we care about building a more compassionate, inclusive society where everyone has a place to call home." [ #PlymouthStories: A series that illuminates the shared humanity of people impacted by homelessness. Each story features a Plymouth Housing staff member, resident, or supporter. ]

Thank you to the team at Depaul UK for such a thought-provoking lunchtime webinar on 'Preventing Youth Homelessness through the National Schools Programme'. During the webinar we learned that: - The experience of homelessness can disrupt or derail the future of a young person - It's important for young people to understand what homelessness is because if they can't recognise/don't understand it, then they won't be able to seek the appropriate support if they experience homelessness themselves - Films are a great way of helping students to understand the impact of choices that they make and why young people go missing - It's important for young people not to think of homelessness as a 'taboo' topic - Nearly 122,000 young people in the UK approached their local authority in 2020/21 as they were homeless or at risk of homelessness. This equates to 331 young people every day and almost 14 per hour - Cost of living increases; substance misuse; exclusion from school; a lack of support after leaving care; poor physical or mental health and/or crime and gang involvement may cause youth homelessness - Relationship or familial breakdown accounts for 75 per cent of all young people becoming homeless - Some young people view homelessness through the lens of 'escapism' - without understanding the longer term impact/reality of this situation -14-17 year olds are most likely to be exploited by grooming gangs - An estimated 24 per cent of the youth homeless population identifies as LGBTQ+. This is compared to only 2.7 per cent of the general population. A huge thank you to Bidwell Fairlove and Hannah Collins for such an insightful, interactive and engaging session. Sarah Hale Co-op Foundation

Did you know, transition age youth (ages 18-24) experiencing homelessness are more likely than older adults to identify as LGBTQ+? A key contributing factor to youth experiencing homelessness is conflict with a parent, guardian, or foster parent. In DC, 34% of unaccompanied youth identified at LGBTQ+ in comparison to 9% of youth overall. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e8NfaK_T This is why organizations like Playtime are so important. We provide support to children experiencing housing insecurity with the goal of preventing them from becoming young adults experiencing #housinginsecurity or #homelessness. To learn about becoming a volunteer, register for our June 22nd training: https://lnkd.in/gGF_dfbX #playtimeproject #playequity #playforall #playmatters #volunteerwithus #volunteeropportunity #volunteeropportunities #pridemonth #PrideMonth2024

Revisiting an older Abt Global discussion that's more relevant today than ever. How is climate change affecting homelessness response systems, and how can we design equitable, intersectional solutions? As Lisa Brooks puts it: “It is absolutely essential, to make space and share power with people with lived experience…when we’re thinking about working with people with lived experience, we’re recognizing that BIPOC folks are the most likely to experience homelessness, particularly Black and brown communities, and LGBTQ+ youth, [it’s] just absolutely essential to be partnering with them” when devising solutions." #Homelessness #ProgramDesign #ClimateResponse

Greetings from all advocates at Safe Place! 👋 As we bring this year to a close, we have had a lot of time to collaborate and reflect on many national issues. Specifically, the issues that affect the LGBT+ low-income community. We are not at all surprised by the primary issues that still affect our community and for just a small amount of perspective we have included some data below to give you an understanding of these issues at a national level. *Please keep in mind, the national estimates below are well below the actual percentages of the DC metropolitan area, which average 24% higher. * Estimates based on public survey for respondents ages 18 and older... Financial Insecurity - 15% Mental Health - 19% Job Insecurity - 12% Housing Insecurity - 10% Food Insufficiency - 11% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, December 2022 Based on this information, within the past year the conditions, standards, and offerings have not improved for the LGBT low-income community. We are asking anyone interested in making that #communityimpact by joining our #mission in some way, to assist us in greatly reducing these issues. For more details on how to #advocate with us or #donatetoday please visit the links provided below. ALL ARE TRULY WELCOME! Join our mission (Volunteer or Partner): https://lnkd.in/eGjMj5eF Donate: https://lnkd.in/gnNyeWQg

November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. This hits particularly close to home for our organization as we serve youth and the unhoused population. To bring awareness to the rise of homelessness among youth in this country we’ve pulled some statistics from Chapin Hall’s study of youth homelessness from 2015-2017 and Salita O’Neale’s article “Foster Care and Homelessness”.      1 in 10 youth experience homelessness each year.      Black youth are 83% and Hispanic youth are 33% more likely to experience homelessness.      LGBTQ+ youth experience homelessness more than twice as much as their peers.      40-50% of youth become unhoused after exiting foster care.      65% of youth aging out of foster care need immediate housing.      Approximately 5,000 unaccompanied youth die every year due to assault, illness, or suicide. https://lnkd.in/ecgsGYkz https://lnkd.in/eQEYy2dV

🏳️🌈 Did you know that LGBTQIA+ youth are more than twice as likely to experience homelessness than other young people? Covenant House shares that 30% of the youth who are in residence at their programs identify as LGBTQIA+ compared to 7% in the general population. While reasons for homelessness vary greatly, many of these youth come with complex and traumatic histories of abuse and rejection by their families, schools and communities due to their gender identity or sexual orientation. Yet overall, LGBTQIA+ individuals are among the groups experiencing homelessness who have been historically *undercounted.* Our Anchored Home 2023-28 strategic plan says we can do better by collecting information in a healing-centered manner. we invite LGBTQIA+ individuals with lived experience to connect with us and help to build a better continuum of care. Email [email protected] to get involved. Learn more at aceh.org/anchored-home. #PrideMonth #AnchoredHome #AnchorageCommunity 🌈