Future in Context
Drawing from his experience in San Jose, Seattle Chief Technology Officer Rob Lloyd seeks to address pressing issues like homelessness and public safety in a post-pandemic landscape in the Emerald City.
Future in Context
With strong mayoral leadership, Atlanta is not only leveraging creative financing to provide housing but also getting tough on landlords of blighted properties. It’s a recognition that homelessness is a moral issue rooted in poor public policy.
A new public opinion survey commissioned by the National Alliance to End Homelessness shows most Americans believe investments in housing and social service can reduce homelessness. A smaller fraction supports law enforcement as a primary solution.
Courts have upheld some bans but struck down others. Some cities and at least one state have considered restricting panhandling in traffic medians due to safety reasons.
Nine schools on the city’s Upper West Side are installing laundry machines for students in need; in 2022, 119 schools across the city had washer-dryers. A lack of clean clothes often hurts students’ attendance.
Millions of Americans are evicted each year. Lack of detailed information about their circumstances makes addressing affordable housing needs more difficult.
Gavin Newsom has been dealing with the issue since long before he became governor, working to undo a Reagan-era legacy of deinstitutionalization. It’s common-sense progress.
Nonprofit service providers publish plenty of metrics about their activities, but too often they don’t reflect actual success in reducing homelessness. Measuring impact would help them do more good.
A study by Rand Corp. found that homeless encampment cleanups across Los Angeles saw immediate reductions but within a month or two, the numbers went back to the former level.
The court’s recent ruling prompted concern in some quarters that police could become the primary face of homeless response. But some chiefs worry they’re caught in the middle of societal problems they aren’t equipped to handle.
The Court found that there is no constitutional right to sleep outdoors or in cars. In dissent, liberal justices argued that sleep is a necessity that's effectively being criminalized.
The City Council has approved a plan to move individuals now living along waterways to sites throughout the city over the coming year. The idea is encountering pushback from community members.
More than 200 children live on Skid Row, a majority of which stay in the only homeless shelter in the neighborhood that allows families. Advocates are urging the city to do more to help.
Proposed legislation would allow for up to one-quarter of the state’s spending on homeless housing, assistance and prevention programs to go toward sober living environments. The bill would reverse a 2016 funding ban.
Lacey Beaty came into office as mayor of Beaverton, Ore., with less power than her predecessor. That hasn't stopped her from taking on the city's biggest issue.
The movement to build tiny houses has gotten a lot of attention, but it hasn’t gained much traction in the market. Still, there may be some applications for homes of just a few hundred square feet.
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