PolicyLink’s Post

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.

🏠 Addressing Homelessness in California: Advocating for Vulnerable Communities 🌟 Hello LinkedIn community, I hope this post finds you well. Today, I want to shed light on a pressing issue that affects countless individuals and families in our beloved state of California: homelessness. It is a complex problem that demands our attention and collective action. Homelessness knows no boundaries and impacts a wide range of vulnerable groups, including veterans, youth, families, and the LGBTQ+ community. It is a stark reminder of the systemic challenges we face in providing affordable housing, mental health support, and access to essential services. As we strive for progress, it is crucial to recognize the interconnectedness of these issues and work towards comprehensive solutions. We must advocate for policies that prioritize affordable housing initiatives, increase funding for mental health services, and strengthen support systems for those experiencing homelessness. But it doesn't stop there. We can all make a difference by supporting local organizations and initiatives that provide shelter, food, and resources to those in need. Volunteering our time, donating to relevant causes, or even simply raising awareness can have a profound impact on the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness. Let's come together as a community to address this crisis. By fostering empathy, understanding, and collaboration, we can create a California where everyone has a safe and stable place to call home. If you are passionate about this issue or have ideas to share, I encourage you to comment below and let's start a conversation. Together, we can make a difference and build a brighter future for all. #Homelessness #California #CommunityAction #SocialImpact #AffordableHousing #MentalHealthSupport #TogetherWeCanMakeADifference

LGBTQIA+ youth are 120 percent more likely than non-LGBTQIA+ youth to experience homelessness. What's more, shelters and other services are not often designed to support young people or LGBTQIA+ people, which means LGBTQIA+ youth face unique barriers to getting the support they need when experiencing housing instability. Learn more from National Coalition for the Homeless about solutions to better support these young people. https://lnkd.in/gjHAhGEy

#DC #failed #to #house #98percent #of #homeless #young #adults #last #year, #data #shows #WashingtonPost #August28 "The #vast #majority of #young #adults #and #single #adults #experiencing #homelessness #in #the #District #remained #unhoused #last #year #despite #an #infusion #of #vouchers meant to address a problem that is surging in the region, according to #data #publicly #shared #earlier #this #month #by #DC #officials. The #stark #breakdown in #services that #target some of D.C.’s #most #vulnerable #populations, including #young #adults #under the #age #of25 and #members of the #LGBTQ+ #community, points to a #deep #disparity #that #government #officials #had #not #previously #revealed #in #such #detail."

"What the research tells us is that homelessness is primarily an affordable housing problem. When Congress provides resources close to the scale of the problem we can make really good progress." Do you know Ann Oliva, the passionate, data-driven and unstoppable champion for ensuring that everyone in our nation has a safe and affordable place to live? Her path, from her family's journey from Cuba to America to her change making tenure at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development informs her leadership now at the nonprofit organization that has inspired her for years, the National Alliance to End Homelessness. In this episode of Power Station, Ann breaks down the systemic failures that have led to some 580,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night, and what needs to be done to generate a better future. As she says, "Homelessness discriminates. Its impacts are most severely felt by the most marginalized communities: people of color, people with disabilities and LGBTQ people." We talk about great political leaders like US Representative Maxine Waters who are fully committed to housing those experiencing homelessness and the many powerful partner nonprofits, from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and True Colors United who are leading us forward. Ann is a leader, mentor, listener and, as the episode makes clear, a tremendous communicator. Listen and share! http://bit.ly/3RcWzYd #endhomelessness #affordablehousing #lgbtqcommunity #lgbtqyouth #peoplewithdisabilities #peopleofcolor #nonprofitleadership

Quebec's homeless population almost doubled in 4 years, report says. Many groups, including Indigenous people, people who've been in youth protection, are overrepresented. Similar to the 2018 survey, the report found that Indigenous people and members of the LGBTQ community are still disproportionately represented among Quebec's homeless population. (Dillon Hodgin/CBC) For the past few months, Damien Wands has been living on the second floor of Montreal's Old Brewery Mission. He said he can't afford to find a new place to live with the city in the midst of a housing crisis, with sparse availability and skyrocketing rates. "Makes me feel powerless," he said. "And like I have very little support from my government." Wands is far from alone. The number of people experiencing homelessness in Quebec almost doubled between 2018 and 2022, according to new government data obtained by Radio-Canada. In 2018, the first provincewide survey in Quebec's history on homelessness was conducted. It found a total of 5,789 people who were "visibly" homeless. In 2022, that number jumped to 10,000. Nearly half of those people, 4,690, were living in Montreal. The data was compiled in a report commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, which is expected to make it public Thursday afternoon. Full story: https://lnkd.in/gmZjvahT

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

“A life well lived”: “ Please talk up the need for a national youth homelessness strategy; Be the voice for those 136,000 young ( homeless) people ( aged 16-24) because; They deserve to have a life well lived in which they can fulfil their potential & realise their dreams hopes & aspirations” Paula Barker MP Debate in House of Commons on youth homelessness in UK - 1/5/2024 Powerful summing up from Ms Barker as to why in the run up to the General Election she wants us to talk about youth homelessness which with rough sleeping she points out “ was practically eradicated “ by the time that the last Labour Government fell in 2010. As Ms Barker said Homelessness is “ multifaceted “ : there are 112 k households & 145k children in temporary accommodation caused by poverty ; trauma; leaving care; leaving prison; being a victim of domestic abuse etc and those affected include “women; young people; those who define as LGBTQ+ veterans; prison leavers and many more so the solutions need to be multifaceted. In other words there’s no one size fits all solution … so I thought I’d share my “ takeaways” on how the strategies behind the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 ( a Tory statute) when combined with the Labour introduced Empty Property Management Legislation could be used over the next 14 years to eradicate homelessness in the UK back to its correct level ie “Zero” Watch this space …..