How Norway Is Proving That Homelessness Is a Solvable Problem

Although they sit nearly 2,000 miles apart, Burlington, Vermont and Fort Collins, Colorado, both deal with homelessness to a similar degree. That is why when Burlington officials implemented a successful street outreach program, leaders in the midwestern state took notice. In late 2015, the city of Fort Collins set out to pilot their own outreach program, modeled after Burlington's efforts.

Cities with sanctuary policies, which grew out of the sanctuary movement of the 1980s, limit local law enforcement’s cooperation with immigration agents. Original sanctuary efforts led by churches and religious clergy helped protect more than 1,500 Central American refugees, and echoes of this movement can be seen in efforts to resist ICE operations today.

In an effort to better support its youngest learners, Mississippi implemented sweeping education reforms, including introducing a standardized “science of reading” curriculum, providing more teacher training and support with in-school literacy and math coaches, and holding back third-grade students who don’t meet their reading skills benchmarks. Over a decade, the number of students reading at grade level has climbed from 12 percent to 35 percent, and the state now ranks among the top ten nationally for fourth-grade reading scores.

In recent years, California has passed legislation making it easier for indigenous tribes to perform cultural burns, including one bill establishing a claims fund to protect landowners from the financial risk of any potential damage and another allowing tribes to enter state agreements that bypass typical permitting and regulatory requirements for cultural burns. The Karuk tribe is starting with backyard burns, using the practice as an educational opportunity to pass down traditional methods and knowledge.

Black mothers at Griffon Manor organized community activism, advocacy campaigns, and coalitions to demand equitable government support and recognition after the Love Canal, New York, environmental disaster—eventually resulting in partial victories such as federal relocation assistance, although persistent structural racism and media neglect severely limited their initial visibility, effectiveness, and lasting recognition.

An activist organization in Poland, Krakow Smog Alarm, teaches people about poor air quality in their city and helps them organize together to lobby their local governments for effective clean air measures.

Local governments in France are educating residents about waste reduction and finding ways to incentivize the behavior change necessary to meet the country’s ambitious zero-waste goals. Roubaix, for example, teaches residents simple lifestyle changes that will also save them money. Whereas, Smicval transitioned from door-to-door waste collection to a central collection point where residents drop off trash themselves.

At least 33 states now involve students in education policymaking through formal advisory roles or positions on state boards, and these youth have helped spearhead changes, such as a Massachusetts rule requiring student feedback to be considered in the teacher evaluation process and a Washington bill creating school-based liaisons to coordinate homelessness services.

A city-sanctioned program allows people to camp on a corner in Chattanooga, despite it being illegal statewide. The safety and stability allow residents to focus on improving their economic situations in order to find stable housing.

Indigenous and Italian American activists in Rochester, N.Y. built on an interfaith model to campaign for a resolution replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day. The committee focused on centering Indigenous perspectives, involving Italian Americans in the process, and encouraging community dialogue through mediated conversation circles.