Housing First

The Truth This homeless woman in Portland nails it. The subculture of the streets is alluring. Why be a working stiff when you can get everything for free, live without rules, and pay ZERO taxes? Video from: Kevin Dahlgren

Shift’s Newsmaker Interview is with Caitlyn Axe, the author of a new must-read report from the Discovery Institute’s Fix Homelessness project. The report revealed that the King County Regional Housing Authority’s (KCRHA) collaboration with local companies called “Partnership for Zero” not only dramatically failed in its mission to remove homeless individuals from Downtown Seattle, but it cost taxpayers nearly 10 times the amount to house individuals than what it cost non-profits to perform the same task.  On the day the report was released, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that the “partnership” was terminated. The report then exposed a disturbing lack of accountability by the politicians who govern the KCRHA. While the authority distributes millions in taxpayer funds to local homeless organizations, it does not Read More ›

Let’s take a one-week break from my reporting on California homelessness to celebrate this Big News! FR-6700-N-25! Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)! Maybe that sentence was MEGO to you (mine eyes glaze over) but it’s GOGOGO for government and nonprofit executives looking for federal dollars. The Department of Housing and Urban Affairs is passing out billions “in competitive funding to homeless services organizations across the country for supportive services and housing programs for people experiencing homelessness.” HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge announced, “As our nation faces a worsening housing crisis, it is imperative that we continue to invest in communities’ efforts.” Specifically, HUD is looking for projects that “end homelessness for all persons experiencing homelessness” and “use a Housing First approach.”  Read More ›

Download the report here. Shoddy Data Hid Failed State of Homelessness Program, Study Shows Seattle, WA – A study from the Fix Homelessness Initiative of Discovery Institute reveals the expensive failure of the government to run a now-defunct downtown outreach program in Seattle funded by the region’s leading foundations and corporations. It also reveals a lack of transparency from non-profits receiving millions in contracts from King County to address homelessness. “Information about the downtown program is hard to come by,” said Caitlyn Axe of Discovery Institute “But the data we have reveals ineffective use of millions in funding while private nonprofits are accomplishing far more with far less.” Axe’s research examined the multi-million dollar Partnership for Zero (PfZ) homelessness program Read More ›

Wesley J. Smith joins Dr. Elaina George on Liberty Talk to discuss the origins of the homelessness crisis. Listen to the podcast episode below:

Only 16 people have been housed in units with only 11 landlords participating in the program since the program’s launch in 2022 which had a goal of 800 units. A Seattle area program that offers funds to landlords to incentivize them to rent vacant units to the homeless has hit a snag, as there are more units available than eligible homeless people. Because of this, landlords are being turned away from the program. The agency, however, continues to say that they need more units. The King County Regional Homeless Authority (KCRHA) in Washington State has confirmed that landlords in Seattle are being turned away from a program aimed at incentivizing them to take in homeless tenants. Advocates for those living on the streets Read More ›

Homeless advocates, politicians, and leaders at the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) continue to say that “housing saves lives” and affordable housing is the solution to homelessness. King County Executive Dow Constantine has said that “we must make it affordable for everyone here,” and KCRHA interim CEO Helen Howell wants “every person [to] have a roof over their head.” This is why KCRHA launched a landlord incentive program in 2022 that promised housing providers an attractive package in “an effort to end homelessness.” The incentive program offered landlords on-time payment backed by KCRHA and tenant conflict resolution in exchange for rental units for the homeless. Funding for “Partnership for Zero,” a publicly and privately funded program, would offset the Read More ›