n 2005, Utah unveiled its 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness using a novel strategy known as Housing First. The guiding philosophy of Housing First contends that the best way to ameliorate homelessness is to provide permanently subsidized, no-strings-attached housing to unhoused persons. When the plan came to an end in 2015, Utah made national […]
San Francisco has long been the unofficial “harm reduction” capital of the United States. Harm-reduction policy operates on the premise that total abstinence from drug use is often unrealistic and that it is better to “meet addicts where they are.” Ever since the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic opened in 1967 to provide medication-based addiction treatment, the City by the Bay has pioneered policies and practices designed to mitigate the potential dangers of drug use.
he owners of three single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels in San Francisco’s Chinatown recently settled a lawsuit with the city, agreeing to pay a hefty fine of more than $800,000. Among their alleged crimes was that they “illegally converted, combined or added unauthorized housing units” to their properties. The allegations expose something that should be humiliating for […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom would very much like to be president. As one of the Democratic Party’s more charismatic leaders, he certainly has a shot. But Newsom’s presidential ambitions are burdened by the sorry state in which his leadership has left California—the cost of living is sky high, crime is out of control, and the […]
Homelessness in the United States has grown by nearly 19 percent since its low point in 2016. In 2023, the unhoused population reached its highest levels since we began tracking homelessness, but with the new year and new administration come opportunities to reverse this troubling trend. To do so, President-elect Donald Trump must reverse Obama’s […]
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its Annual Homelessness Assessment Report for 2024. The report showed that California homelessness grew by only 3 percent between 2023 and 2024, while total US homelessness increased by a shocking 18 percent. California Governor Gavin Newsom was quick to pat himself on the back for California’s […]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been on a signing spree lately for new housing bills. To his supporters, the dozens of bills he signed represent a massive effort to overcome the decades-long housing shortage. Unfortunately, the new legislation reflects the same tired ideas that have consistently failed to resolve California’s housing crisis.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
The rising cost of homeownership has made housing policy a central component of Vice President Kamala Harris’s platform. Among her proposals is to provide $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers who have paid their rent on time for two years.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore