As Homelessness Spikes Post-Pandemic, Midsize Cities Try To Problem Solve
The Wall Street Journal looks at efforts in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where homelessness has increased 34% since the start of the pandemic. Other related news comes from the District of Columbia, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon.
The Wall Street Journal:
Midsize Cities Struggle With Snowballing Homelessness
Firefighters and mental-health workers set out before dawn in this west Michigan city one November morning, rousing people sleeping on the streets before businesses open and seeing if any need help. Firefighter Mike Waldron spoke to two people sleeping above a steam vent outside a smoothie shop and returned to the group’s van. (Najmabadi and Kamp, 12/20)
The Washington Post:
Dozens Died Homeless In D.C. This Year Amid Homelessness Spike
Unhoused people and their advocates marched through downtown Washington Wednesday in an annual vigil to honor those who died homeless in the District in the past 12 months. There were many to remember. At least 77 homeless people have died in D.C. this year, according to city’s medical examiner. They fell prey to intoxication, accidents and homicides amid a record increase in homelessness across the nation. (Moyer, 12/20)
AP:
Homeless People Who Died On US Streets Are Increasingly Remembered At Winter Solstice Gatherings
With his gap-tooth smile, hip-hop routines and volunteer work for a food charity, Roosevelt White III was well known in the downtown Phoenix tent city known as “The Zone.” But like many homeless people, White suffered from diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He died unexpectedly one sweltering September day at age 36. (Snow, 12/21)
AP:
Homeless Numbers In Los Angeles Could Surge Again
In the hours after being elected mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass made a promise that will be an inescapable metric of her time in office: “We are going to solve homelessness.” The Democratic member of Congress, who had been on then-candidate Joe Biden’s short list for vice president, envisioned streets clear of more than 40,000 homeless people — a broken city within a city — and the expansion of housing and health services that would repair troubled lives. (Blood, 12/21)
AP:
Methamphetamine, Fentanyl Drive Record Homeless Deaths In Portland, Oregon, Annual Report Finds
Fentanyl and methamphetamine drove a record number of homeless deaths last year in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, according to an annual report released by regional officials Wednesday. At least 315 homeless people died in 2022 in the Portland area, the report found. More than half of the fatalities — 123 — were from drug overdoses. Methamphetamine contributed to 85% of overdose deaths, and fentanyl contributed to 74%. (Rush, 12/20)
