‘Justice for Jordan Neely’ Means Investing in Housing, Social Services
Neely’s killing is once again a reminder that carceral approaches to homelessness reproduce, rather than ameliorate, poverty.
Leah Goodridge May 18, 2023
More in Homelessness
How Georgia’s Sex Offender Registry Traps People in Debt and Homelessness
I was arrested in 2011 after engaging in sex work to survive and later forced to register as a sex offender. Since then, social stigma, footage laws, and crushing monthly court debts have made it difficult to get back on my own two feet and succeed after prison.
Christina Lynch Dec 08, 2022
28 Years, 160 Arrests: What One Man’s Record Reveals About San Diego’s Broken Justice System
What do you do with people who are repeatedly failed by social services and the legal system?
Kelly Davis Jul 11, 2022
A Coalition Led by Philly’s Homeless Youth Wants to Change How Cities Help the Unhoused
Every Thursday morning, the Philly Homes 4 Youth (PH4Y) Coalition hosts a weekly virtual workspace for its members. The coalition of young advocates, youth workers, and non-profit administrators have been strategizing together since at least 2016 to improve care for young people experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. But lately, the group’s meetings have taken on a more urgent tone: Tens of millions in federal COVID-19 relief funding is currently up for grabs in Philadelphia, and the coalition wants to ensure at least 20 percent of the money goes to youth services.
Rashni Stanford Mar 22, 2022
After Years Locked up for Stealing Cold Medicine, Reginald Randolph Is Released
But if he loses his appeal and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declines to grant him clemency, he will likely be sent back to prison.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jan 25, 2022
A Homeless Man Has Spent 800 Days At Rikers After Stealing Cold Medicine. Now His Prison Sentence May Be Beginning.
Blind in one eye and at risk of losing vision in the other, 58-year-old Reginald Randolph is now on the verge of being sent to state prison to serve out a maximum of four years in state prison.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 02, 2021
Denver City Council Members Propose a Way to Keep Tenants in Their Homes
A new proposal would make Denver the latest major city to provide legal defense for residents facing evictions.
Jerry Iannelli Apr 15, 2021
Austin Uses Money From Police Budget to Fund Substance Use Care
The city will use $1 million in funds diverted from its police budget to expand substance use treatments and harm reduction services for low-income people in Austin and Travis County.
Meg O'Connor Apr 07, 2021
Seattle’s City Council Gives Poor Residents Right to Eviction Attorneys
The city joins the national trend of guaranteeing counsel in eviction court, which data shows can save people’s homes.
Jerry Iannelli Mar 29, 2021
New York City Considers A Bold Idea To Keep People From Being Pushed Out Of Their Homes
Activists are calling for a number of new policies to expand the reach of community land trusts.
Abigail Savitch-Lew Mar 29, 2021
Federal Funding Charts the Path for Local Eviction Right-To-Counsel Efforts
To all of the state lawmakers wondering how to fund legal representation for tenants facing evictions: follow the federal COVID-19 relief packages.
John Pollock Mar 26, 2021
Anchorage’s Anti-Homeless Movement May Elect the City’s Next Mayor
One of the leading candidates for Anchorage’s mayoral race is backed by a far-right Facebook group tied to the U.S. Capitol riot.
Jerry Iannelli Mar 23, 2021
The Future of Housing in St. Louis Hinges on the Mayoral Race
Whether the city will do more to keep people in their homes or simply do more of the same depends on who voters elect as the next mayor.
Meg O'Connor Mar 01, 2021
San Antonio Bulldozed a Homeless Encampment. Then the Winter Storms Started.
Now, advocacy groups are struggling to keep unhoused people safe.
Jerry Iannelli Feb 19, 2021
New York City Mayoral Candidates Blast de Blasio’s Housing Record
In a forum with people experiencing homelessness, Democratic candidates criticized the mayor’s affordable housing plans, embraced a ‘right to housing,’ and rejected police intervention on homelessness calls.
Chris Gelardi Feb 05, 2021
Austin To Buy Second Hotel That Will Become Permanent Supportive Housing
The city will use funds diverted from its police budget to set up wraparound services for the people who will live at the hotel.
Meg O'Connor Feb 04, 2021
Austin Will Use Money Cut From Police Budget To Establish Supportive Housing
The City Council voted to buy one hotel and use funds diverted from its police budget to set up wraparound services for the homeless people who will live there.
Meg O'Connor Jan 27, 2021
Austin May Use Money Cut From Police Budget To Establish Permanent Supportive Housing
The City Council will decide whether to buy two hotels and use funds diverted from its police budget to set up wraparound services for the homeless people who will live there.
Meg O'Connor Jan 26, 2021
The Pandemic Hasn’t Stopped Landlords From Evicting Tenants—And It’s About To Get Much Worse
Landlords have continued forcing renters out of their homes, despite a patchwork of protections from federal and local governments. Now, with the CDC moratorium set to expire on Dec. 31, millions of Americans could be evicted.
Meg O'Connor Dec 18, 2020
Why Los Angeles Activists Don’t Want Their Mayor In Biden’s Cabinet
Eric Garcetti, who may be considered for a position in the administration, is out of touch with the city’s working class and poor people, activists say. And they fear he’ll bring that sensibility to national politics.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Dec 03, 2020
Against CDC Guidance, Denver Displaces Hundreds Of Homeless People Amid COVID-19 Spike
Cities across the country have continued to displace and criminalize homelessness during the pandemic, though the CDC cautions clearing encampments can heighten the potential for the spread of COVID-19.
Meg O'Connor Dec 02, 2020
California Needs A Community-Based Response To People In Crisis, Not Law Enforcement
Governor Newsom should sign the CRISES Act into law this week and invest in community partners who support people in crisis situations.
Asantewaa Boykin Sep 29, 2020
The Trump Administration Is Pushing To Make It Harder For Trans People To Seek Shelter During The Pandemic
The Trump administration mishandled COVID-19, creating conditions that left transgender people even more vulnerable to housing instability than before. Now it’s pushing for a rule change that would allow homeless shelters to discriminate against trans people.
Gillian Branstetter, Sarah Saadian Sep 17, 2020
Cities Must Stop Homeless Sweeps And Instead Provide People With Concrete Opportunities For Housing
In order to get real about addressing homelessness in America, we need to get real about how we have demonized, dehumanized, and criminalized the presence of unhoused people in our local community.
Paul Boden, Molly Beckhardt, Erin Goodling Sep 01, 2020
Santa Cruz County Grand Jury Homelessness Report Calls for Defunding of Police
A June report from the county’s independent judicial arm urges local government to reallocate law enforcement resources to social services.
Ella Fassler Jul 31, 2020
As Eviction Cliff Looms, Calls To Cancel Rent Grow
Housing rights activists in California are pushing for taxation of rich residents to help the hundreds of thousands of people who may be at risk of losing housing after COVID-19 eviction restrictions end.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jul 27, 2020
Maricopa County Moved Homeless People to Sweltering Parking Lots in Response to COVID-19
Hundreds were forced from an encampment to fenced-in, asphalt parking lots with no shade in Phoenix’s triple-digit summer heat. At least three people have died.
Meg O'Connor Jul 24, 2020
10 Ways To Reduce Our Reliance On Policing And Make Our Communities Safer For Everyone
Police should no longer occupy all of our vital support systems in our communities.
Alex S. Vitale Jul 20, 2020
People Are About To Be Pushed Into Homelessness On A Large Scale. Hotels Are Key To Keeping Them Off The Streets.
Tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County are at high risk for becoming homeless after the temporary halt on evictions is lifted—one of the largest mass displacements the region has ever seen.
Ananya Roy, Jonny Coleman Jul 17, 2020
How The Largest Known Homeless Encampment In Minneapolis History Came To Be
The frustrations of residents in the Powderhorn neighborhood, not far from where George Floyd was killed, have gotten some national coverage. But the homelessness crisis in the city isn’t new, and it could soon get worse.
Rachel M. Cohen Jul 15, 2020
COVID-19 Hit New York City Homeless Shelters Hard, But Some Are Forced to Stay There
Many city residents who’ve served time for sexual crimes have families who want them back, but a 19-year-old law keeps them away.
Steven Yoder Jul 08, 2020
The Pandemic Shows It’s Time for an Alternative to American Capitalism
The nation has an opportunity to take advantage of this transformative event and pursue an alternative to the current system.
David A. Love Jun 30, 2020
Defund The Police – And Abolish Laws Used To Target Vulnerable People
Making our communities safe requires not only the defunding of police departments, but also dismantling discriminatory laws that target survival activities such as sleeping, sitting, lying down, and eating in public space.
Molly Beckhardt, Paul Boden, Erin Goodling Jun 26, 2020
Community-Based Emergency First Responders: Explained
In our Explainer series, Justice Collaborative lawyers, journalists, and other legal experts help unpack some of the most complicated issues in the criminal justice system. We break down the problems behind the headlines—like bail, civil asset forfeiture, or the Brady doctrine—so that everyone can understand them. Wherever possible, we try to utilize the stories of […]
Patrisse Cullors, Tim Black Jun 25, 2020
Cops, Climate, COVID: Why There Is Only One Crisis
Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis are both provoked by natural phenomena, the dangers they present are just as political as the crisis of police violence.
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò Jun 16, 2020
The Toll That Curfews Have Taken On Homeless Americans
The country’s homeless population was already struggling to access services during the pandemic.
Kira Lerner Jun 10, 2020
L.A. Mayor’s Reaction to Protests Proves He’s Unfit to Govern
This weekend’s string of errors is just the latest in his career of cruelty.
Jonny Coleman Jun 04, 2020
Lack Of Access To Clean Water Is Putting Homeless People At Risk Even As Cities Reopen Amid COVID-19
Health officials say hand washing is key to avoiding the novel coronavirus, but millions of homeless people continue to have little or no access to hygiene stations.
Elizabeth Brico May 29, 2020
Honolulu Police Keep Putting Homeless People in Jail
The city is flouting CDC guidance by continuing to dismantle homeless encampments during the COVID-19 pandemic, though it does not have nearly enough shelter space.
Meg O'Connor May 28, 2020