'Housing first' has become a policy buzzword of sorts to describe an approach to homeless services. A pair of new reports on the homelessness situation in Seattle finds consensus on the need for a housing first policy.
Bryan Cohen reports: "Amid the hundreds of pages of data heavy, jargon-laden new reports on Seattle’s homeless crisis, there is a consensus that the city needs to dramatically shift how it spends some $50 million in annual homeless prevention funding to a so-called 'housing first' strategy."
The reports grew out of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray's Pathway Home initiative, which would "focus on housing people before providing additional services" and "[call] for the city to prioritize services towards those who have been homeless the longest, improve rapid re-housing programs to get recently homeless people into available market-rate housing, and require service providers to use a common database to better connect people to housing."
The first of the two reports, by consultant Barbra Popp, "recommends the city divest in certain transitional housing programs in favor of housing first programs while required service providers to take a more data driven, accountability-focused approach to moving people into housing." The second report, by California-based firm Focus Strategies, performed an audit of sorts on the city's current homeless services.
FULL STORY: Mayor’s reports: Seattle homeless funding should shift from transitional to permanent housing
Seattle Regional Homelessness Authority Plan Moves Forward, but Faces Controversy
A proposal for a regional entity to oversee homeless services in King County is running into jurisdictional conflicts.
Costs of Seattle's 'Safe Lot' for Homeless in Cars Questioned
The city has proposed a "safe lot" for homeless residents living out of their cars, but the cost could run above $1,000 a person.
Seattle Tiny-Home Villages Facing Host of Challenges
The villages offer much-needed housing for homeless people, but controversy is brewing over their operations.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Seattle Safe Parking Site to Close, Relocate
A nonprofit leases lots during permitting stages to erect tiny homes and RV safe parking sites for unhoused residents. But the model means constant uncertainty and displacement.
LA ‘Mobility Wallet’ Increased Quality of Life for Participants
The city distributed a monthly $150 transportation subsidy to 1,000 low-income Angelenos. It dramatically improved their lives.
Texas, California Rail Projects Seek Out Private Funding
In the wake of Trump’s cuts to high-speed rail projects, rail authorities are looking to private-public partnerships to supplement their budgets.
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 Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions