Lawmakers committed more than $200 million to increase Oregon’s housing supply, help rehouse and shelter people experiencing homelessness, and prevent future homelessness during the 2023 legislative session. House Bill 2001 is comprehensive, and its passage provides resources for each community in the state to address their specific affordable housing crises. It amends land use requirements … Read more
A student-run organization at Wayne State University (WSU) is working to help Detroit’s homeless population gain access to needed quality medical care. Nearly 1,700 people were experiencing homelessness in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park in January 2022, according to a point-in-time count conducted by the Detroit Continuum of Care, the Homeless Action Network … Read more
An Alaska nonprofit organization that provides early education and family programs will continue to advocate for needed funding after Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed more than $200 million from the 2024 state budget. CCS Early Learning Executive Director Mark Lackey successfully advocated to get an additional $5 million for the Head Start program in … Read more
Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward highlighted the city’s focus on mental health, housing, and the fentanyl epidemic at the State of the City address on Thursday. Woodward said community members have expressed fatigue, frustration, and a loss of patience in trying to address their mental health issues. “We can all point to examples in … Read more
A record number of homeless people died in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, in 2021 according to the county’s annual Domicile Unknown report, which was released on Wednesday. At least 193 homeless people died in 2021, which was a 53% increase from the county’s 126 homeless deaths in 2020. Drug or alcohol … Read more
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, MD, submitted additional budget requests to fund housing and healthcare initiatives to the legislature on Monday. Green filed his executive budget for the fiscal biennium 2023-25 in December 2022. It features $2.1 billion in capital improvement project requests for fiscal 2024 and $1.4 billion in fiscal 2025. The budget … Read more
Senate Housing Committee members discussed a $4 billion Washington housing initiative on Wednesday during a public hearing for Senate Bill 5202. SB 5202 aims to reduce homelessness in Washington through capital expenditures for programs that address housing insecurity. Committee staffer Melissa Van Gorkom said the state Finance Committee would be authorized to issue … Read more
Inadequate living situations, unaddressed trauma, and lack of access to healthcare services are all factors that contribute to substance use disorders in Washington, according to experts who spoke at the 2023 Washington State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Brad Finegood, strategic advisor at Seattle & King County Public Health Department, said 46% of … Read more
The need to build more affordable housing and address homelessness in Washington are crucial initiatives that take center stage in Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed budget and are high on other lawmakers’ lists. Experts identified some ways to address the issues at the 2023 Washington State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Kat Latet, director … Read more
This edition features recommendations about using emergency department discharge data to improve service delivery for unhoused individuals, insight about how presumptive Medi-Cal eligibility can be used as an on-ramp for enrolling individuals in full Medi-Cal coverage, and reporting on a partnership between Molina Healthcare and MedZed that is successfully lowering hospital utilization rates in the … Read more