Independence police finding new ways to tackle homelessness

In Washington, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority distributes vouchers to veterans experiencing homelessness that they can use to pay for housing. The organization also connects veterans with local resources to help them manage the process.

Several California cities have adopted a new approach to clearing homeless encampments that prioritizes housing over displacement, called Inside Safe. The model involves spending 6-8 weeks getting to know each encampment resident individually, matching them with appropriate housing, moving people gradually and minimizing police involvement. Los Angeles's Inside Safe program has moved 5,200 people indoors over three years, with approximately 25% securing permanent housing.

In response to managing the homeless crisis, several Safe Rest Villages have emerged throughout the city. These are small, individual units on city-owned land, separate from nearby neighborhoods. There are currently seven active Safe Rest Villages in the city and they have created 350 transitional housing opportunities for the local homeless population.

The Eden Village tiny home community helps to provide people without homes a place to live. Tiny homes communities allow municipalities to build more dense and affordable housing for the people who need it most. All the homes in the village are “permanent supportive housing,” meaning residents may live in their homes for the remainder of their lives as long as they follow the rules set forth by the community.

Community of Hope offers day shelter services and intensive case management for unhoused residents in the Las Cruces area. In the fiscal year 2020-2021, the program served 3,263 people, connecting them to affordable, income-based housing solutions.

Even while Los Angeles police criminalize homelessness with "sweeps" to clear encampments from public property, state and local programs have helped thousands of people find housing and receive services like counseling and criminal record expungement. Programs like LA DOOR and Project Roomkey use public-health and housing-first approaches to address people's underlying problems rather than subject them to endless cycles of arrest and incarceration, all of which cost far more than the helpful strategies while remaining far less effective. Street outreach is done without police escorts, to build trust.

In Chicago, like other cities, there is a shortage of services and housing for homeless youth. One developer is addressing the problem by building permanent supportive housing with comprehensive services for those between the ages of 18-25.

Citizen Police Academies (CPAs) aim to provide insights into how police departments operate and the law enforcement profession, by offering educational programming that teaches community members about the procedures, responsibilities and laws that guide police officer behavior. Several Ohio cities have CPAs, including Cincinnati’s police department, which has graduated 1,600 citizens since 1995.

Inside Safe addresses the significant homelessness crisis in the city by traveling to encampments and offering people hotel rooms to stay in where they are connected with permanent housing and other necessary resources, like mental health care. Hotel rooms provide people with a safe space to heal and rest while working with a case worker to find housing. The initiative has so far moved 1,373 people into hotel rooms and 77 of them have moved into permanent housing.

Efforts throughout Texas to reduce homelessness are serving as inspiration for states like California, that have similar homelessness issues. From committing funding to homeless reduction programs to establishing more advanced shelters like The Navigation Center, the state recorded a 28% drop in homelessness last year and has helped several individuals transition into permanent housing.