Informative Resources – Poverty & the Homeless

INFORMATIVE RESOURCES for Community Forum Series

Challenges of Poverty in Carbondale

Participants in the Community Forum Series interested in learning more about the topics addressed in the meeting are encouraged to access the following resources:

‘Housing First’ Initiatives

IDEAS Driving Housing First Initiatives:  “Housing First is an approach to ending homelessness that centers on providing people experiencing homelessness with housing as quickly as possible – and then providing services as needed. This approach has the benefit of being consistent with what most people experiencing homelessness want and seek help to achieve.” National Alliance to End Homelessness

VIDEO ‘Housing First’– a way towards ending homelessness     Video: TEDx local production
Juha Kaakinen describes the main features of the Housing First concept. He also tries to challenge the `prevailing prejudices about homeless people. TED Published on Sep 19, 2014 [ 16:58” ]

WHAT ARE OTHERS DOING TO ADVANCE THE IDEAS OF ‘Housing First’ Initiatives ?

Members of the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Westfield, N.Y. decided to create a portable homeless shelter to temporarily house those in the community who are unable to make the 20-mile trip to the nearest shelter. The poor church cannot afford better housing at the moment, but believe the insulated hut will make a difference while dealing with sub-zero temperatures. [1:37”] Published March 7, 2014

  • COMMUNITY-WIDE ACTION         FOCUS of September 29 Presentation

CASE STUDY – ‘Square One’, Eugene Oregon

Tiny Houses – Square One / Opportunity Villages Eugene, Oregon
Square One website  History & actions taken in establishing, first, Opportunity Village, and recent additional initiatives.

CNN Brief report: Homes for the Homeless. Short article about Opportunity Village, OR

VIDEO: Homeless not Hopeless [ Opportunity Village, Eugene, OR ]
Transitional micro-housing community helping to create solutions. Published on Sep 20, 2014 [9” ]

  • STATE-WIDE ACTION: UTAH
    VIDEO: A Rational Response To Homelessness – It’s ACTUALLY Happening! [Utah] [8”]
    “In eight years, Utah has quietly reduced homelessness by 78 percent, and is on track to end homelessness by 2015. How did Utah accomplish this? Simple. Utah solved homelessness by giving people homes. In 2005, Utah figured out that the annual cost of E.R. visits and jail stays for homeless people was about $16,670 per person. Published on Feb 8, 2014
  • NATION-wide ACTION in United States National associations & resource aggregators
    The American Tiny House Association promotes the tiny house as a viable, formally acceptable dwelling option for a wide variety of people.

National Alliance to End Homelessness Housing First page

Tent City Urbanism and The Village Collaborative
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* Prepared by Civic Soul Media, an Imagining Geographies Initiative, in collaboration with The Sparrow Coalition.   September 2015.