Homelessness and vagrancy are on the rise across the country,
More than 577,000 people across the United States are homeless, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Over the past year, homelessness has climbed 11% nationwide.
Homelessness and vagrancy have been especially prevalent in the country’s biggest cities. More than 70% of Dallas residents, for instance, said homelessness and vagrancy continue to be “major” problems within their city. San Francisco and Portland are also facing critical levels of homelessness and vagrancy, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Adding to the dynamic has been the large influx of unlawful migrants, tens of thousands of whom have been transported to various self-declared sanctuary cities by Gov. Greg Abbott, which has put a strain on local homeless services in cities like Chicago and New York City.
President Joe Biden petitioned Congress last month to direct more than $700 million of taxpayer money to the Department of Homeland Security to help respond “to migration surges along the Southwest border and related activities.”
“This request would authorize the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use appropriated funding to allow for refugees, asylum seekers, or other migrants to be housed in community-based residential facilities,” according to a letter sent from Biden’s office to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
The funding would also provide unlawful migrants with medical care and legal counsel. Some would be directed to non-governmental organizations.
The City of San Antonio has seen success in combating its homelessness and vagrancy problem through its partnership with the nonprofit Haven for Hope, which provides housing in conjunction with supportive services like drug abuse rehabilitation, counseling, and job training. The “one-stop-shop” approach has been credited with a 77% reduction in homelessness in the city.
The Biden administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) promotes a different homelessness response strategy — “housing first.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, “housing first” policies provide no-strings-attached housing for the homeless and have been the federal government’s blanket approach to homelessness since 2013. However, the approach has been criticized by policy experts like Michele Steeb, who previously told The Dallas Express that housing first can have detrimental effects on both individuals experiencing homelessness and local communities.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson recently visited Haven for Hope, but it remains to be seen whether the City will adopt the “one-stop-shop” model, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.