This program seeks to end homelessness and incarceration
We decided to dust off this important solution from not long ago. Several factors can lead to homelessness: a lack of affordable housing, high costs of living, and even, sadly, mental illness. Another factor that contributes to homelessness, which is often overlooked, is Read More...
New program seeks to break the cycle between jail and homelessness
Several factors can lead to homelessness: a lack of affordable housing, high costs of living, and even, sadly, mental illness. Another factor that contributes to homelessness, which is often overlooked, is incarceration. Many individuals serve their jail or prison sentences and cannot find Read More...
The UK repeals anti-homelessness law
The UK Vagrancy Act criminalizes sleeping outside and begging—essentially homelessness—in England and Wales. Under this law, police have the power to arrest people found begging in public, or in enclosed spaces. Anyone convicted of these crimes is charged with up to £1,000 in fines along with Read More...
These sustainably powered homes can raise families out of poverty
Finding and sharing positive ways to tackle the world’s challenges is our favorite activity at The Optimist Daily, so it’s no surprise that we are especially excited about BillionBricks and Architecture Brio’s PowerHyde solar homes, as they tackle both the global housing issue and the climate Read More...
Stay-for-Free initiative for homeless in Osaka reaches 10,000-guest milestone
Over two decades ago in Osaka’s Nishinari Ward, a group of hostel owners and some others decided to start a “Stay-for-Free” volunteer movement to help the masses of homeless day laborers. Just last month, the altruistic community project hit its 10,000-guest milestone. Back in the 1970s, Read More...
Nap pads could prevent hundreds of homeless deaths this year
As the weather gets colder in the UK, the issue of homelessness becomes even more dire. While it is known that hundreds of people without a stable home die each year across the nation, getting an official count has been impossible until recently, thanks to the efforts of the Bureau of Investigative Read More...
India adopts new holistic approach to address homelessness
Governments often address the problem of homelessness with band-aid solutions like placing the unsheltered in shelters, only to have them back on the streets after a short while. However, a newly developed project in Rajasthan, India, is striving to change these temporary fixes with a more holistic Read More...
Breaktime: Eradicating homelessness through employment and empowerment
Recent Harvard graduate Tony Shu recalls his freshman year at the prestigious Ivy League school. He was struck by the affluence and access to resources at the elite institution juxtaposed with the homelessness he saw in Harvard Square, where many homeless youths are the same age as local college Read More...
Cob on Wood is a refuge center that empowers the unsheltered in Oakland
A charming refuge for the unsheltered in Oakland has taken form under a highway overpass in West Oakland thanks to a coalition of organizations and members of both the housed and unhoused community. The structures are made of “cob,” a mixture of organic materials including sand, subsoil, water, Read More...
Nonprofit hires homeless people to make coats that double as sleeping bags
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are more than 500,000 people in the US experiencing homelessness on a given night. This means that about 17 people out of every 10,000 people in the country don’t have a stable roof over their heads. A nonprofit seeks to overturn that Read More...