Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • An incomplete picture

    Housing First, an approach that has helped many cities address homelessness, has failed to make much impact in Boulder thanks to a shortage of permanent housing and complaints that the program suffers from a lack of coordination and ignorance of the views of the community it's trying to serve. Boulder County housing authorities and non-profits teamed up in 2017 to shift toward permanent housing and other services for people experiencing homelessness, rather than the previous policy of providing temporary shelter beds. But most people remain unserved by both temporary and permanent solutions.

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  • Protecting Chicago's Homeless Population During Covid-19

    Over 100 organizations in Chicago that focus on helping those who are experiencing homelessness are now working together to provide COVID-19 testing and increase housing capacity throughout the city. Although testing teams have been visiting shelters to administer COVID tests, new facilities have been created to increase bed capacity and those with underlying medical conditions have been provided individual hotel rooms, the enhanced resources aren't necessarily reaching everyone.

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  • Cleveland shelters work to protect homeless from COVID-19

    Health officials and Cleveland homeless shelters are working together to prevent a coronavirus outbreak among those who are experiencing homelessness. Mass testing, separate areas for the already tested and those yet to be, and a focus on more equitably disseminating information have been key to helping the caseload stay low, although the shelters are facing limitations such as a slow turnaround time for test results.

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  • COVID-19: NC rural mental health outreach gets creative

    Mental health agencies in North Carolina have partnered with a mobile phone carrier to provide data-enabled smartphones to individuals who lack access to technology during the pandemic. Because this doesn't provide a solution to all, however, mental health experts are also meeting with patients outside in social distanced settings.

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  • On dangerous ground

    When an eviction moratorium expired and the government's pandemic aid spigot closed, Boulder County nonprofits and public agencies mounted a coordinated response to address a looming homelessness crisis. A gusher of donations created an eviction legal defense fund, a rental assistance program, and other aid to people struggling to pay utility and food bills. In just three months, 800 households received help in forestalling evictions while thousands more received legal and humanitarian services. Despite the community support, housing risks remain without a resumption of emergency government aid.

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  • This City Stopped Sending Police to Every 911 Call

    Since April 2019, Olympia’s Crisis Response Unit has sent civilian first-responders instead of police officers to hundreds of “quality of life” calls such as a mental health crisis or problems related to addiction or homelessness. Providing services while doing outreach on the streets, following up on previous calls, or dispatched by 911 operators or police, these responders connect people with the services they need to be safe and healthy, freeing police to handle more serious calls and avoiding police interactions that can lead to violence or needless jail stays.

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  • To fix homelessness, let's treat it as a health issue like they do in Denver

    Philadelphia can look to places such as Denver and New Jersey for examples of how to alleviate homelessness by treating it as a health problem. Many people experiencing homelessness struggle with alcohol, opiate and drug addictions as well as mental and physical disabilities. Hospitals are often obligated to treat and keep anyone who may not have a safe place to go after release therefore the healthcare industry has an incentive to mitigate the homelessness crisis by providing wraparound services as well as transitional housing for people who have no where to go after a hospital release.

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  • What the Coronavirus Proved About Homelessness

    Britain's response to curbing the spread of coronavirus included the "Bring everyone in" operation which brought people experiencing homelessness off the streets and into accommodation - typically empty hotel rooms. Temporary shelter proved effective with only 16 deaths among those who were brought indoors. People were also given services that could lead to a life off the streets. The success demonstrated the ability of the government to quickly house people when political will and money were put toward solving the problem.

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  • Oakland's Homeless Community Knows How to End the City's Housing Crisis. Will Its Leaders Listen?

    The city of Oakland and local activists use a similar response to the problem – building encampments of "tiny houses" – but there are critical differences between the two programs. An activist group called The Village has taken over parkland or vacant lots to build 23 tiny structures at the heart of self-governed communities that activists hope alleviate homelessness in the short term and lead toward permanent solutions. The city has torn down most of The Village's structures and erected its own two-person sheds in camps governed by the city, an approach that has had mixed success for the people it served.

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  • Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need

    Finland, the only EU country with declining homelessness, uses a “Housing First” program to provide homes for people living on the streets with no preconditions. Nonprofits manage long-term housing and, once in homes, individuals receive a rental agreement and pay rent and expenses. Social workers provide services from offices in residential buildings and the state helps financially. The program provided 4,600 homes in the past decade and costs less than accepting the status quo of homelessness. About 20% drop out and around 1,900 people still live on the streets, but emergency shelters can accommodate them.

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