Fix Homelessness How to rebuild human lives
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mental illness

clear ship canal encampment

14 Accept Housing and Shelter as Ship Canal Encampment is Finally Cleared

Sweeps All Week Day 1 in the books at the Ship Canal Bridge encampment on the Wallingford side, right across street from John Stanford Int. School. @WSDOT crews expect to be on this for a few more days. Then on Thursday, they move across I-5 to tackle the U District side. This type of undertaking in the same week is unprecedented for The Washington State Dept. of Transportation. But critics say Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) should not be taking a victory lap since he allowed this all to flourish under his watch. If anything, he should be on an apology tour. Later this week, WSDOT is also moving in to clear two notorious homeless encampments in #Chinatown-ID.#Seattle @MayorofSeattle @kcexec @KC_RHA Read More ›

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Jonathan Choe on Fox & Friends: Is Capitalism Causing Homelessness?

Jonathan Choe joins Fox & Friends to debunk the claim that capitalism is to blame for the homelessness crisis in our cities. Instead, he points to leadership continuing to push failed policy that neglects to address the root causes of the issue.

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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 ›
distorted image of street
Distorted image of a town street on a rainy day with rare ray of sun shining through crystal ball
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A Different View of Homelessness

The relationship of homelessness and mental illness is complex. Some disorders precede time on the streets and some result from it, but Ullman is right to note that “individuals who spend long periods living unsheltered have a very high prevalence” of serious mental illness and debilitating substance-use. Read More ›
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People crowd shadows lined up against a red brick wall. They are in a queue for changes in life. Social distance, covid and immigration issue concept
Photo licensed via Adobe Stock

Varieties of Homelessness

After seven months of getting back into the flow of writing about poverty, my New Year’s resolution is to continue doing ground-level or historical columns, but to try as well to map out the overall debate and see what each side has to contribute. Read More ›
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Schizophrenic man holding his head
Schizophrenic man holding his head

Hearing Voices

Julius Caesar began his Commentaries on the Gallic Wars with a sentence that Latin students once memorized: Translated literally into English, it reads, “Gaul is a whole divided into three parts.” When delving into homelessness causes, it’s useful to keep in mind that homelessness is both a whole and a hole into which people fall for three main reasons: mental illness, alcoholism/addiction, and housing costs. Many journalists emphasize housing costs, partly because many live in expensive coastal cities. Off the coast, with the exception of a few cities like Austin, it’s different. As I learned in Flint and Pontiac, Michigan — columns to come — apartment cost is not a big factor in many cities that have lost population in Read More ›