Latest Homelessness News

Judge says Louisiana State Police must follow city law to conduct homeless sweeps

Dec. 04, 2024 12:00 PM EST

A New Orleans judge on Tuesday indefinitely prohibited the Louisiana State Police from conducting sweeps on homeless encampments in New Orleans without issuing adequate notice, as required by city law. The preliminary injunction, issued by Civil District Court Judge Ethel Julien,...

Northern Virginia high school AD implicated in scheme to exploit homelessness to recruit players

Nov. 27, 2024 11:07 AM EST

RESTON, Va. (AP) — A high school athletic director in northern Virginia has been implicated in a scheme to use homelessness as a way to recruit more football players. The Fairfax County Times newspaper reported it has obtained a series of text messages that implicate Hayfield...

Busing people out of homelessness: How California’s relocation programs really work

Nov. 26, 2024 16:07 PM EST

Mayor London Breed, outgoing mayor of San Francisco, made waves recently with a major policy shift: Before providing a shelter bed or any other services, city workers must first offer every homeless person they encounter a bus or train ticket to somewhere else. But while San...

Louisiana judge halts state police plans to clear New Orleans homeless camps before Thanksgiving

Nov. 25, 2024 18:40 PM EST

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana civil court judge on Monday halted state agencies' plans to forcibly clear homeless encampments in New Orleans. Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Ethel Julien issued a temporary restraining order blocking state police and two other agencies...

Massachusetts will phase out use of hotels and motels to shelter homeless families, governor says

Nov. 22, 2024 18:35 PM EST

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' reliance on hotels and motels to shelter homeless people will be phased out in the next couple of years, Gov. Maura Healey said Friday, outlining changes to the state's emergency family shelter system. The Democratic governor said the changes would help...

In Portland, Oregon, political outsider Keith Wilson elected mayor after homelessness-focused race

Nov. 07, 2024 18:05 PM EST

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Voters in Portland, Oregon, have elected political outsider Keith Wilson as their new mayor, following a campaign in which he capitalized on years of growing frustration over homeless encampments, open drug use and quality of life concerns to outperform three City Council...

Haitian activists demand halt to deportations as gang violence and poverty soar

Nov. 07, 2024 14:24 PM EST

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian activists on Thursday demanded that other countries temporarily stop deportations to their country due to a surge in gang violence and deepening poverty. Tens of thousands of people have been deported to Haiti in the past month, mostly from the...

California sues LA suburb for temporary ban of homeless shelters

Nov. 04, 2024 15:02 PM EST

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California filed a lawsuit against a Los Angeles suburb on Monday, alleging the city's recent moratorium on homeless shelters and temporary housing violates the state's fair housing and anti-discrimination laws. The lawsuit is part of an ongoing effort by...

Vermont is opening two emergency family shelters, and planning a third

Oct. 31, 2024 14:41 PM EDT

WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) — The state of Vermont is opening two emergency family shelters on Friday after hundreds of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness had to leave state-funded motel rooms this fall as new caps on that pandemic-era emergency housing program took effect. ...

Maui considers new law to regulate homeless sweeps

Oct. 29, 2024 16:18 PM EDT

Maui County Council members are working on a bill to establish procedures for sweeps of homeless people to ensure their rights are protected after a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling against the county. “We have to treat these folks with dignity. We cannot put trauma upon trauma to some...