Homelessness
Federal Report Calls Encampment ‘Sweeps’ Ineffective and Costly
Weeks after federal officials evicted unhoused people from a Washington, D.C. park, research indicates that similar actions, which usually come at a high cost to cities, have little impact on homelessness in the long term.
Extreme Heat Responsible for Growing Death Rates Among Unhoused People
Extreme heat events like the ‘heat dome’ that baked Southern California last summer kill a disproportionate number of people experiencing homelessness, who have fewer resources to protect themselves from the scorching sun.
D.C. Homeless Sweeps Contradict White House Policy
Just months after the Biden administration released a blueprint for ending homelessness focused on ‘person-centered’ solutions, federal officials are forcefully displacing unhoused people in encampments around the District.
Baltimore Sees Steep Drop in Unhoused Residents
The city exceeded its goals for providing housing and creating new affordable housing units in 2022.
New All-Affordable Zone Proposed for L.A.’s Skid Row
A Los Angeles Times editorial argues that Skid Row’s future should learn from the mistakes of the past.
San Francisco Halts Tiny Home Project
Citing ‘absurd’ costs and community concerns, city supervisors are reevaluating a plan to build a ‘tiny home village’ for unhoused residents in the Mission District.
HUD Grants Total $315 Million for Continuum of Care for the Unhoused
An unprecedented federal grant program, announced earlier this month, will support continuum of care for the unhoused in unsheltered and rural settings.
L.A. County Towns Clash Over Homelessness Policies
Local governments often come to different conclusions about how to address homelessness within their respective borders, but varying approaches only exacerbate the problem.
Milwaukee County Makes Substantial Progress on Homelessness
In 2022, the county’s point-in-time count of unhoused people reflected just 18 individuals, the lowest in the country.
Survey: Most Mayors Fail to Link Zoning and Homelessness
Despite the powerful impact of local land use and zoning policies on housing costs and supply, many U.S. mayors believe they have little control over homelessness in their cities.
Old San Diego Library to Become Shelter
The long-disused Central Library will accommodate 26 unhoused residents starting later this month.
Opinion: Los Angeles Needs More Housing, Fast
The shortage of housing at all price points in the region is the main driver of high costs and the growing homelessness crisis.
The Complexity of Homelessness in Los Angeles County
The homeless crisis is complicated and is associated with high housing costs, inadequate shelter spaces, deinstitutionalization, changes in the criminal justice system, and other factors.
Songs About Places 2022: Songs of Protest
An annual list of songs about the places we call home, the places we miss, and the places we visit. In 2022, one of the most conspicuous songs about places took a stand on an ongoing moral crisis.
California Home to Almost One Third of U.S. Unhoused Population
Despite efforts at the state and local level to address the growing homelessness crisis, California is seeing the fastest increase in its unhoused population in the country.
New Federal Plan Aims To Prevent Homelessness
A new White House policy to reduce homelessness seeks to address the root issues that cause people to lose housing and stimulate housing production.
Orange County Lagging on Supportive Housing Goals
The county is far behind its goal of building 2,700 supportive housing units as the region grows more unaffordable.
Portland Moves Forward With Contentious Homelessness Strategy
The city’s plan to reduce the number of unhoused people has met with criticism, particularly for a proposal to ban encampment on public property citywide.
How To End Homelessness: The Houston Model
While the numbers of unhoused people in other major U.S. cities grow, Houston has managed to effectively end veteran homelessness and house more than 26,000 people since implementing a ‘Housing First’ approach a decade ago.
‘Dignity Village’ Threatened by Anti-Camping Law
Portland’s ‘aggressive’ new camping ban could threaten the city’s most stable community of unhoused people, the two-decade old, self-governing Dignity Village.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
