City officials in North Myrtle Beach argue that a free transit program has led to a rise in the town’s homelessness rate.

The city manager of North Myrtle Beach says free fares on the region’s buses are encouraging more unhoused people to travel to his town, despite an absence of supportive services in North Myrtle Beach.
As Adam Benson reports in Mass Transit, “Mayor Marilyn Hatley and city spokesman Donald Graham said Mahaney was referring to a fare-free policy by Coast RTA in place the last two years that's led to a four-fold uptick in the city's counted homeless population,” though evidence for the connection is tenuous. “I'm not really sure why somebody who's homeless would go from Myrtle Beach to North Myrtle Beach when the services aren't available,” said Kathy Jenkins, CEO of New Directions.
According to Myrtle Beach Public Information Director Mark Kruea, “New Directions does provide transportation out of the area for people who wish to reconnect with their family support groups. And I believe they use some city-provided funding for that purpose — specifically bus tickets — but it's not a frequent thing.”
The article notes that “Further details about the comment and the context are hard to come by for the public. North Myrtle Beach stopped broadcasting its meetings coming out of COVID protocols and minutes of the July 6 session had not been posted to the city's website as of July 13.” Coast RTA says the agency will resume normal fares “within a few weeks.”
FULL STORY: SC: Are free bus tickets causing a surge in the unhoused population in North Myrtle Beach?

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

BLM To Rescind Public Lands Rule
The change will downgrade conservation, once again putting federal land at risk for mining and other extractive uses.

Indy Neighborhood Group Builds Temporary Multi-Use Path
Community members, aided in part by funding from the city, repurposed a vehicle lane to create a protected bike and pedestrian path for the summer season.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service