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

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  • SEPTA is testing a new way to help people struggling with addiction on the system

    A pilot program in Philadelphia’s transit system is providing social services for people struggling with addiction. Loitering violations in and around SEPTA stations are on the rise in the wake of the pandemic, spurring the city to reach out to those experiencing homelessness and addiction instead of solely policing the vulnerable populations. The project will be implemented in several other stations around the city as well.

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  • Food waste is heating up the planet. Is dumpster-diving by app a solution?

    The app Too Good to Go helps restaurants and other shops prevent food waste by selling their extra food to people for a cheaper price. So far, more than 700,000 people in the United States have downloaded the app and the company estimates that, on average, each meal sold halts 2.2 pounds of food from ending up in the garbage, which ends up reducing carbon emissions. There are challenges to widespread implementation, but the app has launched in New York City, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle.

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  • In San Francisco, Help Hits the Streets with a Crisis Response Team

    Six San Francisco neighborhoods are now served by the city's Street Crisis Response Teams, which answer 911 calls for non-violent mental or behavioral health crises without police involvement. In its first two months in one neighborhood, the Tenderloin, the team handled 199 calls without any violent incidents or any need for police intervention. That led to the expansion to five more neighborhoods. The program is modeled on Eugene, Oregon's CAHOOTS project's street medics and counselors, but with an additional "peer specialist," someone with lived experience to counsel unhoused people on the streets.

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  • Laying out food pantries like grocery stores gives choice and can lead to healthy habits

    At Aunt Bette's Community Pantry in Dallas, people receiving donated food are treated with dignity and given choices that can have both psychological and nutritional benefits. A client-choice food pantry mimics a grocery store, except at this one people shop by appointment to fill their free, biweekly allotment. Volunteers help shoppers with health advice and also track inventory, so that unpopular items get discontinued. When people aren't handed a box with a take-it-or-leave-it selection, they waste less food and end up opting for healthier choices (with some helpful but not overbearing nudges).

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  • Crossroads Community Services partners with churches, public housing facilities and neighborhood centers to combat food insecurity

    The Cities of Refuge church, in collaboration with other food banks like Crossroads Community Services, helps provide those in need with access to healthy food and groceries. The Crossroads’ community distribution partner model involves over 100 community partners that serve almost 32,000 people across Dallas and neighboring counties.

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  • To feed community members, Crossroads partners with churches, public housing facilities and neighborhood centers

    Lack of transportation can make centralized food pantries inaccessible to those who need the help. So Crossroads Community Services in North Texas partners with more than 100 community groups, including churches, public housing developments, and community centers, to make monthly deliveries to local sites. Those local partners are trusted points of contact to enroll people in the program and get them their food packages. Though it's not as effective as access to quality, affordable grocery stores, this community distribution partner model has decreased food insecurity and improved health in the community.

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  • How Bakersfield, California Ended Chronic Homelessness

    Bakersfield became the first California city to all but abolish a category of homelessness using the Built for Zero campaign's tactics of combining the use of data with a sustained, communal effort. From 2017 to 2020, Bakersfield identified and then housed all but two of the 72 people it identified as chronically homeless. Working from lists of people, the Bakersfield Kern Regional Homeless Coalition met regularly to whittle down the caseload. The county housing authority helped by leasing a bloc of eight units to sublet, easing landlord worries about dealing directly with people experiencing homelessness.

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  • Homeless Oaklanders were tired of the housing crisis. So they built a ‘miracle' village

    A group of people experiencing homelessness have created Cob on Wood, a place where members can access free hot showers, food, shelter, clothing, books, a health clinic, gardens, and even an outdoor pizza oven. Most importantly, Cob on Wood provides a sense of community and dignity for the almost 300 unhoused people who live there. Local artists and organizations came together to create structures and provide the resources needed to bring the vision to reality.

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  • A Canadian study gave $7,500 to homeless people. Here's how they spent it.

    A lump sum of $7,500 was handed out to people experience homelessness in Vancouver as an experiment. The results show that recipients benefitted by accessing stable housing faster and eventually achieving financial stability sooner, in addition to spending less money on alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.

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  • Vaccines and shelter for the unhoused in Montreal

    A nonprofit day shelter, Resilience Montreal, partnered with public health officials to provide vaccines to members of the indigenous community who are experiencing homelessness. Vaccinations were provided without the need for appointments or identification cards in Montreal. Advocates are calling for more permanent solutions for housing amid a rising need since the onset of the pandemic.

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