Local housing advocates called for a commitment to bring the number of chronically unhoused people to zero.
At a recent town hall hosted by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, local leaders asserted the potential for Houston to end chronic homelessness, writes John Brannen in The Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s Urban Edge.
According to Central Houston Inc. President and CEO Kris Larson, “This community has housed more than 3,000 people just in the last five years. This is a commitment issue that we need from our elected leadership to recognize that this is something we can do as a community.”
One of the few U.S. cities taking a ‘housing first’ approach to helping unhoused people find stable housing, Houston has been successful in part thanks to strong collaboration between agencies. The city experienced a 61 percent decrease in homelessness in the past 12 years, according to an annual point-in-time count, a success that, says Kinder Institute Director Ruth N. López Turley, shows that homelessness is “not an intractable problem.”
In a survey conducted this summer, housing affordability proved a serious concern for a majority of Houstonians. “Nearly 40% of Houstonians said they were ‘often’ or ‘almost always’ worried about being able to afford their monthly mortgage or rent payment, and about 1 in 4 renters said they were ‘often’ or ‘almost always’ worried about eviction.”
Editor's note: A previous version of this article and the source article quoted Kris Larson as saying "more than 300,000 people." The correct number is 3,000.
FULL STORY: Ending chronic homelessness remains a ‘moonshot’ opportunity for Houston
Mayors’ Meeting Focuses on Housing Crisis
As the number of unhoused Americans grows, mayors met to learn from each other and assess their needs for federal support.
How Houston Is Eliminating Chronic Homelessness
Taking a comprehensive ‘Housing First’ approach, the city of Houston has cut homelessness by 63 percent in the last decade.
Houston Could End Homelessness With Less Than 2,000 Housing Units
Houston's homeless response program has yielded strong results in the last few years. Just 1,900 new affordable housing units could 'effectively end' homelessness in the city.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie