Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is following a growing trend in cities across the country of working to end chronic homelessness by providing permanent housing to the homeless.

Following the lead of cities including Salt Lake City and Seattle, Milwaukee County is tackling chronic homelessness by providing permanent housing through a program called Housing First. Casey Tolin of Fusion reports that the program has already found permanent housing for 64 of an estimated 300 chronically homeless individuals.
Since September, officials have been giving permanent housing vouchers to anyone who’s been homeless for more than a year or on multiple occasions in the past couple years.
“The biggest need for a homeless person is housing,” said James Mathy, the county’s housing administrator. “We just offer them housing right off the street. It sounds simple, but a lot of communities don’t do it.”
Participants in the program are expected to contribute 30 percent of their income toward the cost of housing, with the remainder covered by the vouchers. In addition to providing housing, the program sets up homeless individuals with case workers who help to ease the transition between the streets and into the problems often associated with apartment living. The case workers also assist in signing up for benefits and finding treatment programs. Milwaukee's Housing First program is funded through a combination of state and federal dollars, as well as private donations, that will keep it operating for the next three years.
FULL STORY: Why Milwaukee is giving homeless people free apartments

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie