Since 2000, the District of Columbia has added a net of 44,000 households of adults
under 35 with no kids (millennials), 27,000 households with adults over
55 and no kidsand just 3,000 households with children
In December, a devastating survey
of 32 big cities prepared by the United States Conference of Mayors
showed Washington with the highest rate of homelessness. There are 124
homeless people for every 10,000 residents here, more than twice the
national average. Nationally, homelessness has shrunk 12.9 percent over
the last seven years.
What distinguishes the [Oakland CA] camp beneath the 580 freeway is that rather
than being targeted for removal, it's receiving public services from the
city of Oakland. Instead of razing the encampment, Oakland and Alameda
County policymakers set up a pilot program
that offers basic services to some unsheltered residents. This includes
not just waste pickup and porta-potties, but a mobile health clinic and
the placement of large concrete barriers to protect the camp from
traffic. Oakland has also directed its social services and relief
employees to work with the residents of the MacArthur Freeway camp to
help them find permanent housing. Since the pilot started in October,
city officials report that 17 of the camp's 42 original residents have
moved into stable living situations.
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