John Yazwinski’s Post

An interesting morning to be giving a keynote at ACOSTE Conference, discussing the scale, costs and consequences of homelessness… Reading the latest figures reporting the extent of homelessness in the country reminds me of a quote I return to far too often. Attributed to epidemiologist Sir Austin Bradford Hill, Hill remarked that ‘Health statistics represent people with the tears wiped off’. So what of our quarterly homelessness statistics? More people are reaching out for support. More households are either currently experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. More households are in temporary accommodation. More children are in temporary accommodation. The numbers are high, but the costs are staggering. What does it mean for a child’s education whose spent weeks, months or years in a housing crisis? What does it mean for a households emotional and physical wellbeing when the threat of eviction, repossession, or rent arrears looms large? What does it mean for the employer whose workforce live in precarity? Genuinely affordable housing. Meaningful welfare provision. Immediate and sustained investment. Responsive and effective policy. There are solutions to this crisis, and we should expect action. Later today, a Westminster Hall debate will consider a national strategy to end youth homelessness. This debate is timely. But it’s not just our politicians who can take action. Reach out today to find out what you could do and how you could support us achieve our mission. Together, we can end homelessness. #homelessness #temporaryaccommodation #action #housing #solutions #support #youthhomelessness Marie Hamilton Liz Bohler MAPM Katie Robson Ian Rutherford Phil Kerry Lisa Morton Stephanie Smith ✨✨Nina Sawetz Rachel Chesters

Discover how Neighborhood Resilience Project is transforming communities in Pittsburgh. From trauma-informed care to addressing systemic issues, this faith-based initiative is creating real change and healing where it's needed most. Read more about their development program here: https://lnkd.in/eacV9Sxb #CommunityTransformation 

In case one needed more evidence that Housing First is a failure with catastrophic results, please read the attached article. Housing First is two things: 1. a repositioning from a continuum of options for all people to PSH for chronically homelessness only and 2. an eligibility screen that excludes children & PREVENTS PREVENTION and early intervention. We can - we must - restore the Awardwinning Continuum of Care.

National and local leaders are working to mobilize us all to act against inequitable systems that are preventing us from achieving the abundant housing future we know is possible.     An overwhelming 1,000+ organizations and leaders from across the country have filed more than 40 amicus briefs in support of Gloria Johnson and the rights of people experiencing homelessness in the landmark case going before the Supreme Court on April 22.      Among these leaders are our partners at Funders Together to End Homelessness , National Alliance to End Homelessness, and Enterprise Community Partners, who are lighting the way by equipping the field with the solutions communities should continue deploying over the long haul to support people after the Supreme Court hearing.      Now is a critical moment for all of us. We have the chance to use our CaseMaking skills to ensure everyone sees their shared stake in the two futures created in this moment.       📃 Read the brief from Funders Together, NAEH, and Enterprise Community Partners here: https://lnkd.in/gztVPRBY     📄 See the full list of amicus briefs here: https://lnkd.in/dz-kXDyd     📕 Review the CaseMaking playbook we created in partnership with NAEH here: https://lnkd.in/e9Gu6eBj 

Following the Brookings report, if you'd like another great source for understanding what underpins the tragedy of homelessness I highly recommend reading "When We Walk By" by Kevin Adler and Don Burnes. Please buy a copy and read it! https://lnkd.in/g2aS3kHb

"These findings reinforce the crucial need for alignment between homelessness and healthcare systems, social safety net programs, and the aging network. They further underscore the need for robust federal resources to prevent older adults from being forced from their homes, and to ensure that the housing and supportive services are available at scale to ensure older adults can be rehoused as quickly as possible." https://bit.ly/47mSiWC. In partnership with Shelter the Homeless and 4th Street Clinic, we are excited that one of our newest initiatives works to address these rising needs. We will soon be opening the Medically Vulnerable People (MVP) Program Facility, to create secure and comfortable refuge for individuals affected by advanced age and illness. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gzyJ5q-D.

Veteran Housing Corp says that IF YOU ARE NOT PART OF A PERMANENT AND LASTING SOLUTION TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS AND HOMELESSNESS, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM! THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX IS BROKEN AND NOT WORKING FOR AMERICAN TAXPAYERS Veteran Housing Corp would ask every TAXPAYER to demand and get answers from their elected and appointed government officials the below questions as they relate to any affordable, workforce, or supportive housing project in your community! 1. How much local, state, and federal funding, tax credits, or other government benefits or incentives did the project receive? 2. What is the affordability period for each project? Is the affordability period permanent and in perpetuity? 3. What guarantees exist have your local, state, and federal government officials obtained in writing that rents will not go up or that tenants will not be displaced or evicted after the "affordability period expires? Every local, state, and federal housing authority and affordable or workforce housing stakeholder should adopt the State of Vermont's "permanent affordability" policy as a model for all future government funded or subsidized housing projects or developments, no exceptions! https://lnkd.in/eFEUC8c8 Additionally, local, state and federal housing agencies should look to the Helsinki, FINLAND MODEL of ending homelessness by providing affordable housing for all 'It’s a miracle': Helsinki's radical solution to homelessness https://lnkd.in/er9HZSQU Even the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development AGREES THAT adopting FINLAND'S MODEL OF ERADICATING HOMELESSNESS may be of great value to resolving the affordable housing and homelessness crises in America https://lnkd.in/gkSZWYRU

From Dr. Wendy Mahoney, interim President and CEO of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV): "Housing is extremely limited for survivors, often forcing them to make impossible choices between sleeping outside or suffering continued violence. This is especially true for survivors of color and other marginalized survivors, who are already more likely to experience violence, compounded by systemic inequality that makes it harder to escape and access safe housing. We all deserve a safe place to live, and we can't solve homelessness by punishing people for experiencing it." Learn more about the Johnson v. Grants Pass case here: https://lnkd.in/e3U-MmiK