Above Photo: Courtesy of Rob Robinson
US Laws Exacerbated the Homeless Crisis, Now They Can Help to End It
The Hill, Oct. 26, 2021
Right now, as Congress negotiates cuts to President Biden’s initiative to Build Back Better, millions of Americans are without a stable — or any — place to live. Many critical provisions hang in the balance, but one thing is certain: Without stable housing, their chances of success are diminished. Congress must include substantial, transformative funding increases for housing for the poorest Americans... Read full article on The Hill.
Build Back Better Can Restore What’s Been Gutted from US Housing
The Hill, Jan. 15, 2022
Democrats and Republicans alike have called Build Back Better “transformative,” albeit with different meanings and implications. So have many advocates, myself included, and some of the bill’s provisions may in fact merit that designation... Read full article on The Hill.
Homelessness Can’t be Solved with Fines and Arrests (with Sheriff John Tharp)
Huffington Post, May 31, 2018
When San Diego resident Gerald Stark’s rent increased and he couldn’t afford another apartment, the retired union pipefitter moved into his RV. But because he lacked an address, San Diego law made it almost impossible for him to park his RV legally, and it was not long before the city confiscated it, leaving him with no other place to live but the streets. There, he was ticketed for violating another law prohibiting sleeping in public. Faced with thousands of dollars in fines and fees he was unable to pay, Stark lived every day in fear of being arrested — for simply trying to survive... Read full article on The Huffington Post.
Congress is 35 years overdue on its promise to end homelessness.
The Hill, Jan. 15, 2022.
Thirty-five years ago this month, the first major federal law addressing homelessness was enacted. Now known as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, it was an emergency response to what was then a new, fast-growing national crisis.... Read full article on The Hill.