Homelessness: It’s personal
I’d like to see California cities take up ideas that have worked in other places. A 2016 study of Chicago residents at risk of becoming homeless found that those living in a household that received a single cash infusion of about $1,000 were 88% less likely to be homeless three months later. A national program called Built for Zero, which uses a data-based approach to help figure out exactly who needs what services, is making a serious dent in homeless statistics in dozens of communities. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reports that 78 communities have eliminated veteran homelessness and four eliminated overall chronic homelessness — so it can be done.