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
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.