Category: Global homelessness

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Introduces an Intervention Guide for Youth Homelessness, Canadian Cities Increase Their Focus on Permanent Housing, and More

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Mental Health & Addictions Interventions for Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Practical Strategies for Front-line Providers

According to the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, issues surrounding mental health and addition can increase young people’s risk of experiencing chronic homelessness. Service systems and providers in many settings aren’t adequately equipped and resourced to meet the needs of the youth population. This book serves as an intervention guide to direct service providers on how to intervene more effectively with youth who have experienced homelessness. With this book, an internationally recognized group of leading academics and practitioners attempt to address a gap in youth homelessness.

Read the E-book here.

Canadian Cities Increase Their Focus on Permanent Housing

The Canadian Press explores a shift in solutions to homelessness in some Canadian cities. Cities such as Edmonton, Montreal, and Hamilton have moved from a focus on temporarily accommodating people experiencing homelessness to permanently housing them – and credit this approach for reductions in shelter and street homelessness. CEOs of organizations like Old Brewery Mission in Montreal and Homeward Trust in Edmonton reflect on progress made through housing-first programs.

“We can’t just continue to provide overnight shelter and meals and showers and change of clothes. As critical as those services are, if that’s where we stop, we are aiding and abetting homelessness, ” said chief executive officer of the Old Brewery Mission in Montreal, Matthew Pearce.

Read the article here.

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Reevaluating Requirements for Access to Shelter in India

An opinion piece in The Telegraph India argues that in order to effectively implement any measure to address homelessness in India, the state needs to formally acknowledge people who are homeless. The piece highlights obstacles posed by the lack of identity papers in the absence of proof of residence for people who live on the street, which renders them “invisible” during planning for welfare and shelter responses. Figures on the total homeless population in India range from 1.77 million, an estimate from the census of 2011, to 3.7 million, according to the office of the Supreme Court commissioner.

Read the article here.

Hawaii Legislation to Prioritize Homelessness and Housing

According to Audrey McAvoy of the Houston Chronicle, Hawaii state legislature is expected to prioritize solutions to homelessness and housing shortages in their legislative session this week. House Speaker Scott Saiki stated that although homelessness and lack of housing are complex issues, House members are aware that such issues are priorities that they are prepared to address this year. In addition to creating more transitional centers, Governor David Ige said his administration is requesting $100 million in spending for capital improvement projects to support the construction of affordable and rental housing.

Read the article here.

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U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Announces Funding Awards, Expanded Evidence on Housing and Healthcare, and More

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Bridging the Gap Between Housing and Healthcare in the U.S.

Politico explores a four-year effort to demonstrate how permanent housing can alleviate costly health care visits among people who had been chronically homeless in Houston, Texas. Allan Clifton shares his story of health improvements and reduced visits to emergency care after being permanently housed through the project. The author suggests that if the approach proves to be cost effective, other states could benefit from the same strategy.

Read the article here.

For more stories out this month exploring the connection between healthcare and housing, see:

Guardian and Observer Raise Over £1.5m for Homeless Services in the U.K.

More than 15,000 Guardian and Observer readers donated to their 2017 charity appeal, raising over £1.5m for the third consecutive year. The funds will be distributed to three United Kingdom organizations: Centrepoint, Depaul UK, and the No Accommodation Network (Naccom). Centrepoint and Naccom intend to use donations toward developing their work to provide shelter and support services to various groups experiencing homelessness, while Depaul UK plans to promote and expand its Nightstop network, which organizes more than 600 volunteer hosts across the UK who regularly open up their spare rooms to provide short stay emergency shelter for homeless young people.

“This is an incredible sum to have raised. On behalf of all the young homeless we work with, I would like to thank everyone who has donated for their great kindness,” said Ian Brady, Depaul UK’s interim chief executive.

Read the article here.

The Youth Assessment Prioritization (YAP) Tool

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Kathleen Burns of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness provides an overview of a new tool that helps workers in the homelessness service sector make guided decisions to prevent youth homelessness. The Youth Assessment Prioritization (YAP) Tool is a strength-based assessment of youth experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness. The tool aims to determine the level of risk of long-term homelessness that the youth is facing, as well as identifying their positive attributes, skills, and goals. The three communities participating in the Making the Shift project will use the YAP tool to assist in facilitating their intake, assessment, and referral processes.

Read the blog here.

HUD Awards $2 Billion to Homelessness Programs Across the U.S.

This week, Secretary Ben Carson announced that The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded over two billion dollars to support over 7,300 local homelessness assistance programs across the county. HUD’s Continuum of Care funding supports a broad array of initiatives designed to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, particularly those living on the street or relying on temporary accommodation.

“We know how to end homelessness and it starts with embracing a housing-first approach that relies upon proven strategies that offer permanent housing solutions to those who may otherwise be living in our shelters and on our streets,” stated Carson.

Read the release from HUD here. Read comments on HUD’s award by Matthew Doherty, Executive Director of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, here.

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The Urban Institute Discusses Housing Assistance, Pathways to Housing PA Addresses the Opioid Epidemic, and More

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Benefits of Expanding Housing Assistance

Housing assistance plays a significant role in stabilizing low-income households and helping them progress. However, only one in five eligible renters receive the assistance they need. On the Urban Institute’s Urban Wire blog, Susan J. Popkin, Samantha Batko, and Corianne Scally suggest that proposed reductions in federal funding for public housing are likely to increase low-income households’ risk of experiencing homelessness. Instead, the authors suggest the government and homelessness sector expand the evidence on effective and ineffective housing policies and place the concern of the households in need at the forefront.

Read the article here.

A Housing First Model to Combat the Opioid Epidemic in the U.S​.​

Christine Simiriglia, President and CEO of Pathways to Housing PA in Pennsylvania, USA, discusses a housing first-based solution to the opioid crisis among people experiencing homelessness in a guest blog post for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. To address the epidemic, Pathways combines a traditional housing first model with new strategies in street outreach, such as overdose treatment disbursement and training, and immediate access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). As Simiriglia reports, permanent housing paired with treatment services breaks the cycle of relapse and eliminates barriers to MAT.

Read the article here.

UK Government’s Unique Plan to Help Fund Homelessness Reduction

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In the UK, bank accounts that are open for 15 years without activity and a contactable holder are considered dormant. Ashley Cowburn of The Independent reports the government plans to use over 100 million pounds from dormant accounts across the U.K. for homelessness reduction initiatives. “This is part of the Government’s commitment to building a fairer society and tackling the social injustices that hold people back from achieving their full potential,” said Tracey Crouch, minister for sport and civil society.

Read the article here.

Delhi’s Plan to Help Those Experiencing Homelessness Escape Freezing Temperatures

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the expansion of shelters to allow for more people experiencing homelessness to escape freezing temperatures. According to officials, there have been no reported deaths due to the weather since winter began. The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board urges people to call their control room or use the Rain Basera mobile app to share the locations of people living on the street for someone to assist them.

Read the article here.

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The UK-based Centre for Homelessness Impact Announces 2018 Launch, and Registration Opens for the NAEH Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness

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The New Centre for Homelessness Impact to Launch Spring 2018

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The UK-based Centre for Homelessness Impact is off the ground! The Centre will be headed by Dr Lígia Teixeira, formerly Head of Research and Evaluation at Crisis. The Centre is taking on the task of assessing and utilizing research, a sometimes challenging task for policy-makers, commissioners, and practitioners, to help drive solutions to homelessness. As a long term goal, Teixeira and her colleagues hope to ensure that robust evidence be embedded in the design and implementation of homelessness policy. They look forward to fully launch the New Centre in spring of 2018.

“Careful research and evaluation may not end homelessness on its own, but we believe it has a crucial role to play in responding to this challenge, and increasing the effectiveness of policy making and practice,” stated Teixeira.

Read the blog here.

2018 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness

The National Alliance to End Homelessness invites you to register for its 2018 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness – taking place March 1-2, 2018. It will be held at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in Los Angeles, California. The conference will provide a combination of expert presentations, panel discussions, interactive learning sessions, and networking opportunities.

Register here.

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Street Homelessness in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Homeless Link Convenes on Housing First in England, and Three Cities Join World Habitat’s Campaign

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Rising Street Homelessness in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In this Dec. 8, 2017 photo, a homeless man sits on a bench after sleeping there in the port area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Many shun shelters because they often have strict rules and, by the city’s own acknowledgement, have fallen into disrepair, with infestations of bugs and filthy bathrooms. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

As stated in Al Jazeera, there are a reported 15,000 people living on the streets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than triple the number in 2014. The article sites economic hardship leading to an influx of people experiencing homelessness, following the city’s hosting of the Olympic Games. Many people migrated from other states to find employment from the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics and subsequently lost their jobs.

“We have never had such a large number in the streets,” stated Rio’s secretary of social assistance and human rights, Pedro Fernandes. The city is making efforts to improve temporary accommodation and encourage utilization.

Read the article here.

The Housing First National Conference

Homeless Link has opened registration to attend the Housing First National Conference in London. It will take place on Wednesday, February 28, 2018, from 10 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. In conjunction with their Housing First England Project, the purpose of the event is to examine what has been effective; what challenges have been faced and how to overcome them; and how to capture and utilize service impact to draw in funding and meet commissioning requirements. Homeless Link is calling on homelessness service providers across England to consider delivering housing first to meet the requirements of their local communities. Research has shown that people are more likely to sustain permanent housing and progress in other aspects of their lives when given a stable home and intensive, open-ended support.

Find out more here.

Three New Cities Join the European End Street Homelessness Campaign

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Late last month, cities participating in the European End Street Homelessness Campaign convened to to share their ongoing journey to end street homelessness in their cities. In addition, three European cities – Athens, Bratislava and Sheffield – formally joined the initiative. According to World Habitat, while each city faces unique challenges, a shared challenge is the lack of efficient responses and resources to drive reductions in homelessness. Economic downturn in Greece plays a factor in the state of homelessness in Athens, while Bratislava has struggled to define homelessness locally. Sheffield faces an increasing number of people experiencing homelessness. World Habitat welcomed the cities to the initiative by highlighting the importance of hope: “each city brings vastly different contexts but share the belief that change is possible”.

Read the article here.

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The U.S. Explores Increase in Homelessness, U.K. Assembles Panel to Address Rough Sleeping, and Canada Unveils National Housing Strategy

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A Rise in Homelessness Across the U.S.

Pam Fessler of Southern California Public Radio explores a reported increase in homelessness across the United States this year. According to the 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased by 0.7 percent. The increase points to severe affordable housing shortages in major U.S. cities, especially along the west coast. Nan Roman, president and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness expresses concern about the availability of housing units in some areas of the country. HUD Secretary Ben Carson says that an increase in joint efforts between the government, nonprofits organizations, and faith-based communities can help drive solutions.

Read the article here.

Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel Unveiled in the U.K.

The Big Issue discusses the UK’s next step of action toward solving homelessness. To help fulfill a pledge to reduce the number of people sleeping rough by half by 2022, U.K. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid is assembling an advisory panel to help with strategy development. The panel will consist of homelessness experts, charities and local government, including Chief executive of Crisis, Jon Sparkes, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and Chief Executive of Shelter, Polly Neate. The Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel will provide a cross-government approach to implement the government’s plans to tackle homelessness. “To break the homelessness cycle once and for all, we all need to work together, drawing on as much expertise and experience as we can. The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Implementation Taskforce and the Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel, together with the three Housing First pilots, are important steps in making that happen,” said Javid.

Read the article here.

Exploring Canada’s National Housing Strategy

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Nick Falvo of the Calgary Homeless Foundation outlines key components of Canada’s newly-unveiled National Housing Strategy. The strategy aims to reduce chronic homelessness by 50% through several different efforts. The government intends to create a Housing Benefit that will provide financial assistance to low-income households to help them afford rent in both private and social housing units; this can pose as homelessness prevention. Up to 60,000 new housing units will also be created, while focusing on preserving and repairing existing social housing. In addition, new initiatives that will foster participation and strengthen engagement with people with lived experience of homelessness will take place. The strategy also mentions plans to expands research on affordable housing solutions.

Per the article: “Solution Labs will be funded to bring experts and a range of housing stakeholders together to rapidly incubate and scale potential solutions to housing affordability pressures. Through open competitive processes, teams from the housing sector will be invited to identify housing challenges in key National Housing Strategy priority areas and propose strategies to develop new, world-leading solutions.”

Read the blog here. (Scroll down to post titled “Ten things to know about Canada’s newly-unveiled National Housing Strategy”)

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Housing Veterans in Montreal, Brainstorming On Strategic Improvements in Brno, and Building Toward An End to Rural Homelessness

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Pilot Project Finding Permanent Housing for Veterans in Montreal

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The Old Brewery Mission, Quebec Veterans Foundation, and the Canadian government are collaborating on the Sentinels of the Street pilot project, intended to provide rent-subsidized, permanent, supportive housing to veterans experiencing homelessness in Montreal, Quebec. Jackie Dunham of CTV adds that supportive housing can be very beneficial to veterans; research suggests that many veterans have unique needs that stem from their experiencing in service.

Read the article here.

Brno, Czech Republic Leaders Discuss Current Efforts and Next Steps

This week, city leaders of Brno, Czech Republic met to discuss implementation of strategies to end homelessness. United States housing expert, Katharine Gale, who took part in the development of the award-winning Rapid Re-Housing project in Brno, joined the meeting while visiting the Platform for Social Housing. During the convening, leaders addressed the need for improvement of various aspects of the project, such as managing finances. “It’s great to see the city in close cooperation with non-profit organizations, overcoming barriers and finding new solutions to systemic problems,” said Gale. In 2015, IGH brought leaders from five cities across three world regions together for an convening in Brno, Czech Republic that focused on learning how to mobilize volunteers and organizing and acting on individual-level data with limited resources.

Read the article here. (This article’s original text is in Czech)

Locking Arms with States Across the U.S. to End Rural Homelessness

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Policy Director Lindsay Knotts writes about how the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are exploring the challenges and opportunities that rural communities across the U.S. face in ending homelessness. USICH and HUD are aiming to help strengthen peer-to-peer connections and learn how to better target federal strategies to support rural communities. The two organizations brought 15 communities together to hear from leaders from various rural communities across the country, including Alaska, Missouri, Texas, and more. Topics discusses during the convening include implementing proactive outreach and engagement; collecting and reporting data; developing innovative crisis and permanent housing models; and more.

Read the article here.

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The 2018 Transatlantic Practice Exchange, A New Plan to Combat Homelessness in Austin, Texas, and More

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Homeless Link’s Transatlantic Practice Exchange 2018

Leaders in the United Kingdom homelessness sector will be able to apply for Homeless Link’s fourth Transatlantic Practice Exchange at the end of November 2017. The Exchange is an opportunity for senior support worker/junior manager-level staff to explore good practice in the United States. Topics proposed for the 2018 exchange include: multi-disciplinary outreach teams for rough sleepers; permanent supported housing (housing first); school liaison services preventing and responding to youth homelessness; and more. Applicants can also propose other topics that can help their organization develop its approach addressing homelessness. Find out more about the Exchange from past reports.

Read more here.

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Atlanta Effectively Ends Veteran Homelessness

This week, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced that the city effectively ended veteran homelessness. According to Kristal Dixon of Atlanta Patch, Partners for HOME, the Atlanta Continuum of Care, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Atlanta Housing Authority have collaborated since the city joined the U.S. Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness in 2015. Together, they’ve created a coordinated system to identify, assess, connect and permanently house over 1,800 veterans. “Communities like Atlanta are proving that homelessness is solvable, not just for veterans, but for everyone,” said Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Matthew Doherty.

Read the article here.

Granada, Spain Develops Strategic National Plan to Address Homelessness

With nearly 200 people experiencing homelessness, the City Council of Granada, Spain is promoting a new and improved plan to help solve homelessness. Amira Yousef of Granada Digital reports that there are five aspects of the plan: housing first, employment assistance, inclusion in the High Tolerance Project, mental health services, and social services to connect people with relatives. The city is collaborating with RAIS Foundation and the Junta de Andalucía to house the first ten people under the plan. Yousef also discussed demographics of the people experiencing homelessness: about 75% are men, about 18% are women, and about 3% trans-men and women; much of the population is between 45 and 65 years old; and about 19.7% are immigrants. In addition, for the first time, the city provided informational guides to citizens and people experiencing homelessness.

Read the article here. (This article’s original text is in Spanish

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New Plan to Combat Homelessness in Austin, Texas

Nancy Flores of American-Statesman explores an Austin, Texas nonprofit’s 10-year plan to tackle homelessness. This week Mobile Loaves and Fishes shared details about their upcoming efforts to expand housing and support services to those without permanent housing. The plan includes a campaign to expand their Community First village – to enable them to house 200 women and men experiencing chronic homelessness. The development will feature 120 micro-homes, 100 RVs, 20 canvas-sided cottages, a medical facility, and room for various recreational activities. “Mobile Loaves & Fishes is setting a new standard for addressing homelessness in an impactful way — not only in Central Texas, but in communities across the country,” said Austin Mayor Steve Adler.

Read the article here.

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Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Eradicating ‘Core Homelessness’ in Scotland’s Largest Cities, and More

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Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (HHA) is approaching! A series of educational, service, fundraising, and advocacy events, raising awareness of homelessness, will be held across the U.S. beginning Saturday, November 11 and ending Sunday, November 19. Each year, the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness sponsor HHA Week. This year, over 700 organizations, churches, schools, and other groups, as well as individuals, will participate in the series of events. You can participate by attending or volunteering at an event, registering and hosting your own event, sharing knowledge about homelessness. Follow along on Twitter with #hhweek.

Find more information here.

Eradicating ‘Core Homelessness’ in Scotland’s Largest Cities

A recent study conducted by Heriot-Watt University (HWU) provides an overview of the state of homelessness in Scotland, including current policies and best practices, and a framework for the disbursement of funding that will be allocated across relevant organizations working toward ending homelessness in Scotland’s four largest cities – Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen. “The study demonstrates that these more extreme forms of homelessness are still a substantial problem in our main urban centres, but also that it is possible for collaborative efforts to seriously drive down this persistent and distressing social problem,” said Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick of the university’s Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research. Fitzpatrick also added that the aim of the report is to ultimately help drive positive responses to policy. The study discusses key findings regarding age groups heavily affected by homelessness, trends in the occurrence of homelessness, and related factors – such as begging.

Read the study here.

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Emerging Strategies for Addressing Racial Inequalities in Our Efforts to End Homelessness

Policy Advisor, Brittani Manzo, discusses ideas on how to better understand and address racial disparities within homelessness that emerged at the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness’s (USICH) Thought Leadership Convening on Ending Family Homelessness. According to partners from the Center for Social Innovation (C4SI), Marc Dones and Jeff Olivet, people of color, particularly African Americans and Native Americans, have a significantly greater chance of experiencing homelessness than other ethnicities. Some ways that USICH and local and federal partners suggest approaching the issue: using data to build an understanding of the scope of racial disparities and over-representation, map local stakeholders, and engage in conversations with partners to build a shared understanding of the factors that are driving the issue, develop and test strategies to reverse the dynamics identified, and more.

Read the article here.

Housing First in the Canary Islands of Spain

A housing first initiative will be introduced to people experiencing street homelessness in the Canary Islands of Spain for the first time. The local government is collaborating with various organizations, such as RAIS Fundación and the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, to implement the program. According to La Opinión de Tenerife, 82% of participants are middle-aged men. The mayor of Arona, José Julián Mena, is placing emphasis on the need for more long-term, permanent solutions to homelessness, rather than temporary fixes.

Read the article here.

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The State of Housing in the EU 2017, A New Goal for CAEH’s 20,000 Homes Campaign, Housing Development in Sri Lanka, and More

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The State of Housing in the EU 2017

The Housing Europe Observatory, the research branch of Housing Europe, released The State of Housing in the EU 2017 this week. This year’s flagship report includes detailed housing statistics for each European Union member state, the latest housing trends in a cross-country observation, and a compilation of the most significant policy updates since the 2015 report. Some key findings include: house prices are growing faster than income in most member states; governmental response to housing challenges still needs improvement; the local government tends to generate more housing solutions than the national government. The publication also suggests that defining homelessness in quantitative terms has been a difficult task for Europe.

Read the report here.

Sleeping Rough in Christchurch, New Zealand

According to Bridget Rutherford at Star Media, a recent point-in-time count conducted by the city council suggest that about 200 people are sleeping rough at any given time in Christchurch, New Zealand. The data revealed that about 84% of the people experience street homelessness. The city council, local housing providers, social services agencies, and other local homelessness organizations have presented a housing first proposal to the Ministry of Social Development. If accepted, Christchurch Methodist Mission, Emerge Aotearoa and Comcare Trust are expected to take the lead with support from Christchurch City Mission, Te Whare Roimata and Collective for the Homeless.

Read the article here.

Salt Lake City Plans Affordable Housing Development

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Homeless Outreach Program Director Charly Swett says that affordable housing is an especially hard thing to find in Salt Lake City. According to Lauren Steinbrecher of Fox 13, the city is exploring new affordable housing development plans to help solve the issue. A draft proposal, which includes the development of permanent supportive housing complexes for people exiting homelessness, will be reviewed by the city’s Redevelopment Agency. “The hope is that a number of those people will be in housing rather than in shelters,” stated City Council Member, Lisa Adams. The article goes into further detail about how the city proposes to allocate money from the budget.

Read the article here.

CAEH’s New Goal for the 20,000 Homes Campaign

This week, at the 2017 National Conference on Ending Homelessness, the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) announced a new goal for their 20,000 Homes Campaign– to end chronic homelessness in 20 communities across Canada by the year 2020. The shift stems from lessons learned throughout the first two years of the campaign and requires the Alliance to place more emphasis on critical community strategies, such as real-time data collection and coordinated access systems, in addition to persistently housing those experiencing homelessness. “We’re learning a lot about what it takes to end chronic homelessness from our campaign communities and work with our Built for Zero partners in the US,” said Director of the 20,000 Homes Campaign, Marie Morrison.

Read more here.

Sri Lanka and India Collaborate to Build Housing

This week, Sri Lanka and India signed agreements to collaborate on constructing housing for people experiencing homelessness in Sri Lanka. The project is apart of India’s commitment to assist Sri Lanka with the development of housing infrastructure. According to Indian High Commissioner, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, construction of the housing will be led by the owner-driven model and funded by Indian grant assistance. “Until now, the Indian housing grants in Sri Lanka were limited to north, east, and tea plantation area. Now they have extended assistance to provide housing the southern district too,” stated Housing Minister Sajith Premadasa.

Read the article here.

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