The links between unstable housing and health
Children and their caregivers who live in unstable housing situations are more likely to have health-related issues than their more financially stable peers.
That was keynote speaker Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba’s main message at Polk County Housing Trust Fund’s recent Housing Matters Symposium.
“Families struggling to pay rent or are being evicted experience [poor health] in both the children and their parents,” Ettinger de Cuba said. “They are not getting the attention they need because they cannot afford it.”
Public Meetings Privilege Housing Opponents — Here’s How to Fix It
Seattle’s City Council has been pushing more public meetings for the Comprehensive Plan and rezone process — despite significant outreach that the City has already carried out. Research shows that public meetings systematically and structurally privileges wealthier, older homeowners, and even indicates that the public meeting process cannot be easily reformed.
Temporary accommodation nation
Temporary accommodation is the sharp end of England’s housing crisis. Official data shows that there are now more than 117,000 households in this unenviable situation— an increase of 23 per cent in the past three years—including 151,000 children under the age of 16. Together, they could occupy every home in Cambridge.
Extreme Heat May Substantially Raise Mortality Risk for People Experiencing Homelessness
By nature of their living situation, people experiencing homelessness (PEH) are considered one of the most vulnerable populations to the health impacts of extreme weather. PEH are particularly vulnerable to heat, and the impact of heat on mortality in this group is substantially greater than for the general population, according to a new study by the School of Public Health.
What the Supreme Court case on tent encampments could mean for homeless people
Associate Professor and IOC Faculty Affiliate Katherine Levine Einstein was featured in Vox, speaking on the Supreme Court case Grants Pass v. Johnson. According to Professor Einstein, “Using this very reactive and criminalizing approach for homelessness may actually be more expensive than engaging in long-term preventative planning.”
Ending Homelessness in America Feels Impossible. Is It? | Top of Mind with Julie Rose – Season 2024, Episode 13
Associate Professor and IOC Faculty Affiliate Katherine Levine Einstein was featured on journalist Julie Rose’s podcast “Top of Mind,” a production of BYUradio. Joined by Cuica Montoya, senior director of homelessness programs at the Colorado Village Collaborative, Marc Eichenbaum, special assistant to the mayor for homelessness initiative in Houston, and Elizabeth Funk, founder and CEO of DignityMoves, the four guests offered a variety of perspectives on homelessness, with Einstein offering commentary on we aren’t building more housing.
Homelessness in US cities and downtowns
A rare bipartisan consensus is emerging in many U.S. cities on one key issue: the need to address homelessness, particularly in downtown central business districts. Many on both the right and the left are calling for strategies such as encampment sweeps, increased enforcement of quality-of-life offenses, and even scaling back federal dollars for evidence-based “housing first” policies to quell rising fears of public disorder, homelessness, and crime in “hollowed out” downtowns.
High prices, years-long wait lists: Massachusetts needs more senior housing
Nearing 70 years old, Mary McPeak had long had a stable home in Greater Boston. But after a breakup four years ago, she suddenly found herself unmoored, couch-surfing at friends’ homes or renting a room while she faced years-long wait lists for affordable senior housing.
Then a break: McPeak “won the lottery,” figuratively and quite literally, when she was selected in 2020 by lottery for a new senior housing complex, the Brown Family House in Brookline run by 2Life Communities.
Why Do Cities Respond to Homelessness with Criminalization?
Developed by Community Solutions, a nonprofit housing advocacy group, and researchers from Cornell and Boston University, the report collected survey responses from the mayors of America’s 100 largest cities and found that police departments are largely influential in implementing local homelessness policies. For example, half of them either do not have city staff dedicated to homeless outreach or rely on their police department for outreach. About three-quarters of police departments with outreach teams, also known as HOTs, formally incorporate police into their outreach efforts instead of relying on social workers or mental health professionals.
Why Are So Many Cities’ Homeless Policies Punitive?
There is a strong body of evidence on what works when it comes to resolving homelessness – housing – and what does not work – punitive policies like criminalization and homeless sweeps that move people around while discarding their belongings. So why do so many American cities seem vexed when it comes to this issue, constantly framing people who are unhoused as threats to public safety while simultaneously promising a compassionate approach?