Fix Homelessness How to rebuild human lives
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California

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The Humanitarian Crisis Right Before Your Eyes

How could 6,000 shelter beds be unoccupied in Los Angeles County? It’s a number, reported in LAist in July, that makes no sense given the miles of homeless encampments that occupy area streets and sidewalks. Looking for an answer, I talked to Dave — a formerly homeless man who asked me not to reveal his last name. Dave told me how he ended up unhoused in the 1990s and then worked his way into a good job and a steady roof over this head. He believes that homeless individuals who live on the street choose to do so, because when he didn’t have a roof, he chose to spend the night in missions with rules, not on streets without them. Read More ›

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Eight days in the Golden State. First in a Series.

I’m used to hopeless stories about the growth of homelessness, particularly in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Last December LA Mayor Karen Bass declared her city to be in a “state of emergency” that demanded “a sea change in how the city tackles homelessness.” Fine, but six months later, on June 29, a Los Angeles Times headline blared about the change Angelenos has seen: “Homelessness grows 10 percent in the city.” Two weeks ago I headed to California to see for myself. I had already walked LA’s Skid Row, where 11,000 homeless people crowd into 2/5 of a square mile and create what locals call “a man-made Hell.” Didn’t need another look at that, and the hope of seeing a Read More ›

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California, the Dream and the Nightmare

“The homeless are just like you and me.” That’s a politically correct assertion that doesn’t quite recognize the reality on the ground, such as the link between self-destructive behavior — most notably, substance abuse — and living on the street with no place to call home. California is home to 12% of America’s population, but 30% of the number “experiencing homelessness” and half the population of unsheltered homeless. Why? A new study on homelessness, the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness by UC San Francisco, lays out how a set of painful events can bring adults to the sad moment when they lose a roof over their heads. They lose low-paying jobs and then apartments; they bunk in spare Read More ›

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overhead view of city of Los Angeles lit up at night
city of Los Angeles at night

How Much Do You Know About Homelessness?

Six in ten, defined as “sheltered homeless,” sleep in emergency shelters, safe havens, or transitional housing programs. These sites are often unpleasant but usually not dangerous. Four in ten are unsheltered, some in tents or cars not for recreational reasons but because they have no alternative. Read More ›
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West Hollywood Homelessness Wild Tents Camp
West Hollywood Homelessness Wild Tents Camp

‘Housing First’ Caused the Homelessness Catastrophe

Homelessness is a national disgrace. Large swaths of some of America’s (once) most beautiful cities are squalid squatter camps. Visit San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, or Los Angeles and you will see miles of homeless people living on the streets in tents—many openly drug-addled and soiling sidewalks with used needles and human waste. Read More ›
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Sun shining through tall palm trees. Summer, fashion, travel, vacation, tourism, lifestyle and weather concept.
Sun shining through tall palm trees. Summer, fashion, travel, vacation, tourism, lifestyle and weather concept.

Like a Dystopia, Only California

For years, the left argued that not enforcing "quality of life" laws was the humane and enlightened approach that would lead to more livable cities. But all they got was a toxic stew. Read More ›
California street at sunrise
Downtown San Francisco with California Street at sunrise, San Francisco, California, USA
Downtown San Francisco with California Street at sunrise, San Francisco, California, USA

California’s Epic Homeless Nightmare

What’s the matter with California? “It’s suffering from San Fransickness,” which is “pathological altruism,” answers Michael Shellenberger, author of the book “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities.” Read More ›
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Homeless man riding his bicycle while carrying bags and backpacks
Photo licensed via Adobe Stock

President of Orange County Rescue Mission Explains Homelessness

The Orange County Rescue Mission is the largest non-profit faith-based organization in the Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. Incredibly, it houses 500-600 people within their many facilities at any given time and serves over 19,800 people in the community. Read More ›