Cape Town, South Africa Looks at Street Homelessness; Alaska Leaders Collaborate to Tackle Homelessness; and More

A panel of municipal officials and local nonprofit leaders convened to discuss homelessness throughout Alaska. According to Kristen Swann of Alaska Public Media, the group stressed that homelessness impacts Alaskans of all ages, in urban and rural areas alike. Among the group was Bryan Butcher, CEO of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and chairman of the Alaska Council on Homelessness, who shared plans of collaborating with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and other partners to address the issue more efficiently. Butcher suggests that local leaders put more effort into defining homelessness in rural areas. The Alaska Homeless Management Information System shows that service providers reached more than 4,500 people across the region this year.

Read the article here.

A panel of municipal officials and local nonprofit leaders convened to discuss homelessness throughout Alaska. According to Kristen Swann of Alaska Public Media, the group stressed that homelessness impacts Alaskans of all ages, in urban and rural areas alike. Among the group was Bryan Butcher, CEO of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and chairman of the Alaska Council on Homelessness, who shared plans of collaborating with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and other partners to address the issue more efficiently. Butcher suggests that local leaders put more effort into defining homelessness in rural areas. The Alaska Homeless Management Information System shows that service providers reached more than 4,500 people across the region this year.

Read the article here.

Barcelona, Spain has set a goal to double the number of affordable housing units in the city over the next decade. The New York City mayoral administration has committed to building and preserving affordable homes for 300,000 families. Building on these efforts, the Barcelona City Council and the City of New York are launching the BCN – NYC Affordable Housing Challenge. The two cities are seeking innovative technologies and tools to shorten project timelines, reduce costs, and promote cleaner and more sustainable industry, thus driving reductions in costs of construction and rehabilitation in dense urban areas. The ultimate goal is to make housing more affordable for everyone. The deadline for submitting proposals for the challenge is Thursday, January 31, 2019.

Read more here.

The Scottish government has assembled a high action plan to drive toward ending homelessness and rough sleeping across Scotland, UK. The plan presents a wide range of measures needed to help prevent homelessness and ensure that if it occurs, people are provided housing quickly and effectively. The plan discusses the importance of lived experience; outlines a nationwide performance framework; and includes comprehensive set of recommendations from The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group and the Local Government and Communities Committee. Aileen Campbell MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, says that this plan “sets the direction for real and lasting change towards ending homelessness”.

Read the plan here.