This edition of the newsletter highlights several promising developments in the ongoing struggle to ensure housing for all, including a new study showing rent assistance can prevent homelessness and economists endorsing rent control.
My only "disagreement" is your use of the horribly inaccurate HUD numbers of "more than a half-million people" experiencing homelessness each night. Yes, more than, by millions. HUD's definition of homelessness, has been narrowed to the point of insulting to millions "not homeless enough" to be counted.
That being said, your main point of how we can--and must--prevent homelessness needs shouting from the rooftops. The absurdity of letting millions of households hit bottom--i.e. the streets--for want of modest financial help has, in large part, created a massive and expensive tsunami of homelessness, impacting adults and kids.
We decry the expense of helping people. We will pay now or later.
Thanks, Diane. I agree 100% on the undercount of the HUD number, thanks for flagging it. Can you suggest another source I can use in the future that gets closer to quantifying the grim reality?
My only "disagreement" is your use of the horribly inaccurate HUD numbers of "more than a half-million people" experiencing homelessness each night. Yes, more than, by millions. HUD's definition of homelessness, has been narrowed to the point of insulting to millions "not homeless enough" to be counted.
That being said, your main point of how we can--and must--prevent homelessness needs shouting from the rooftops. The absurdity of letting millions of households hit bottom--i.e. the streets--for want of modest financial help has, in large part, created a massive and expensive tsunami of homelessness, impacting adults and kids.
We decry the expense of helping people. We will pay now or later.
Thanks, Diane. I agree 100% on the undercount of the HUD number, thanks for flagging it. Can you suggest another source I can use in the future that gets closer to quantifying the grim reality?
I'm happy to point to what I think is a realistic number, albeit "just" for younger people The National Conference of State Legislatures published 4.2 million youth and young adults. https://www.ncsl.org/human-services/youth-homelessness-overview
On my HEAR US website, I cite a variety of sources that add up to a horrifying 7 million+. https://www.hearus.us/understand-homelessness/howmany.html
This doesn't include parents, or single adults.
I'd like to be wrong. But someone would have to prove it.