Advocacy groups want to see the city invest more in programs that prevent homelessness and provide resources to unhoused residents as a Supreme Court ruling opens the door for criminalization.
Unhoused residents of Austin, Texas and their advocates are calling on the city to increase funding for homelessness reduction programs in the wake of a troubling Supreme Court ruling that lets cities criminalize homelessness even when shelter is not available.
“It’s going to extremely decrease the quality of life. Homelessness is already hard,” said one resident in an article by Jahmal Kennedy for CBS Austin.
“It’s actually quite devastating if you think about it. So, we have got to surge our resources towards interdicting those people who become homeless,” said Save Austin Now founder Matt Mackowiak. “A major theme presented Tuesday that organizations wanted the city to keep in mind is that people who are homeless are family members and neighbors in the community.”
FULL STORY: Groups call on city of Austin to adopt programs for unhoused community
Nevada Cities Pass Punitive Anti-Homeless Laws
State legislators rejected a proposed bill that would have enshrined a “Homeless Person’s Bill of Rights” in state law.
Camping Bans Proliferate After Supreme Court Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling in the case of Grants Pass v. Johnson has led over 100 cities to pass or step up enforcement of camping bans that criminalize unhoused residents.
Grants Pass Bans Outdoor Sleeping, Creates Designated Camping Areas
The Oregon city was at the heart of a controversial Supreme Court case that paves the way for the criminalization of homelessness.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Research: Walkability Linked to Improved Public Health
A study reveals that the density of city blocks is a significant factor in communities’ walkability and, subsequently, improved public health outcomes for residents.
Report Outlines Strategies for Resilient Wildfire Recovery in LA
Project Recovery offers a roadmap for rebuilding more sustainable and climate-resilient communities after wildfires and other disasters.
New Executive Order Renews Attack on Public Lands
An order issued late last week pushes for increased mineral extraction on federally owned public lands.
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