homelessness

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Portlanders Waging War on ... Port-a-Potties

Units are meant to benefit the homeless population

(Newser) - Residents of Portland, Ore., should "take a minute to think about what it would be like to not have working plumbing in their homes … before sending profanity-laden threats." That's the message from Heather Hafer, a public information officer, whose initial excitement at $75,000 per month...

For Alex Trebek, $100K Was Just the Beginning

The 'Jeopardy!' host keeps giving to a cause he believes in

(Newser) - Alex Trebek showed his support for fighting homelessness in Los Angeles this week by handing over a dazzling $500,000 check, CNN reports. The Jeopardy! host was touring an under-construction shelter in North Hollywood on Tuesday with his wife, Jean, and son Matthew when he surprised his host with the...

Trebek to Special Jeopardy! Guest: 'I Don't Normally Do This'

Show host makes $100K donation to Los Angeles-area homeless shelter

(Newser) - A most generous gift from the host of Jeopardy! has Vulture asking: "What is just the nicest, sweetest thing we got to read today, Alex?" Per TMZ , Alex Trebek recently toured a new homeless shelter being built by Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, a nonprofit he's donated...

Moms Booted From Home That Wasn't Theirs Get Good News

Nonprofit land trust to buy Oakland residence from developer, let homeless evicted families back in

(Newser) - The homeless moms who were booted from a vacant residence in Oakland, Calif., will soon be able to call it home again. The members of activist group Moms 4 Housing had been served an eviction notice by Wedgewood Inc., a developer that specializes in flipping houses, and last week, sheriff'...

Homeless Moms Evicted From Vacant Home in 'Act of War'

'This isn't over'

(Newser) - Four people were arrested Tuesday when Alameda County Sheriff's deputies showed up to evict a group of homeless mothers who'd taken up residence in a vacant home in Oakland, Calif. NBC News and the Mercury News report that members of Moms 4 Housing, an activist group trying to...

Officers Mock Homeless, Drawing Outrage

Signs seeking help were taped together in a 'homeless quilt'

(Newser) - Two police officers in Alabama taped together homeless people's signs seeking help, then posted a photo of what they called the "homeless quilt" online. "Wanna wish everybody in 4th precinct a Merry Christmas, especially our captain," the post on a Mobile officer's personal Facebook page...

City Official's Idea to House Homeless: Cruise Liner

Oakland's city council president says it could house up to 1,000

(Newser) - A San Francisco Bay Area city official wants to explore the possibility of using a cruise ship to house up to 1,000 homeless people amid a high cost of living and a shortage of housing, the AP reports. Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan told a council meeting Tuesday...

Apple Puts Its Money Where California's Housing Crisis Is

$2.5B plan includes donation of Apple-owned land

(Newser) - Apple on Monday said it will put up $2.5 billion toward easing California's housing crisis. The sum from Apple eclipses pledges by fellow Silicon Valley giants Google and Facebook for addressing the lack of affordable housing in a region where affluent tech workers have helped drive up the...

They Were Sleeping on the Streets. Now, 4 Dead in Rampage

Victims believed to have been homeless; 'long metal object' recovered

(Newser) - Four men who were believed to be homeless were brutally attacked and killed Saturday in a New York City street rampage. New York Police Department Detective Annette Shelton says that a fifth man remained in critical condition Saturday after also being struck with a long metal object that authorities recovered....

Cop Found Her Singing in the Subway. Now She's a Viral Hit

People want to help Emily Zamourka, a homeless immigrant—but it's complicated

(Newser) - It's "like the American Idol story, but on social media." That's how a rep for a Los Angeles councilman describes the plight of Emily Zamourka, a homeless woman discovered singing in an empty subway station by an LAPD officer. Zamourka may now have a new lease...

Church Leaders Charged With Swindling the Homeless

Federal indictment accuses them of forcing homeless to beg, taking their welfare benefits

(Newser) - Homeless people drawn in by promises of food and a place to stay got something a little different: stints of forced labor in which they were made to beg for money for up to nine hours a day, six days a week. That was just one of the allegations mentioned...

In Los Angeles, a 'Disaster of Epic Proportions'

Spike in homelessness tied to increasing rents, lack of affordable housing

(Newser) - Despite $619 million spent to end homelessness around Los Angeles in 2018, the situation only got worse. Over the last year, the number of people living on the streets, in vehicles, or in shelters rose 12%, to just under 59,000 in Los Angeles County, and climbed 16% to 36,...

Rich Liberals Are Creating 'Unlivable' US Cities

In 'NYT,' Farhad Manjoo says Dems have a NIMBY attitude that belies their progressive stance

(Newser) - California is suffering from an "emergency that feels like a dystopian showcase of American inequality." That's the take of Farhad Manjoo in the New York Times , who writes that the Golden State is weighed down by a "livability" problem, plagued with a lack of affordable housing,...

Rich People See Homeless Couple Move In Next Door

And they're a little surprised

(Newser) - A couple that spent nearly 10 years living on the streets is now residing in a wealthy neighborhood—and some residents are a little unnerved, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. It all began when Terrence McGrath, a Bay Area real estate developer, read a column about Greg Dunston and Marie...

'Tremendous Inequity' Made Clear by 2 Cats With a Sweet Pad

Tina and Louise are living large in a $1.5K-a-month apartment in Silicon Valley

(Newser) - Thousands of people are homeless in San Jose, Calif.—but Tina and Louise have a cozy setup in a $1,500-a-month apartment with an Apple TV (but no kitchen), scratching tower, and a landlord who pops in to rub their bellies. The two tenants are cats, and the Mercury ...

Meet Sesame Street's First Homeless Muppet

Lily's new storyline involves her family losing their home

(Newser) - For the first time in its nearly 50-year history, Sesame Street will have a homeless Muppet character. Lily, a character first introduced as a hungry, impoverished little girl in 2011, is now involved in a storyline involving her family becoming homeless and having to stay with friends, CNN reports. For...

San Francisco Will Vote on Tax to Help Homeless
SF Moves to Echo 'Amazon Tax' 
Jul 17, 2018 1:03 AM CDT

SF Moves to Echo 'Amazon Tax'

Measure to tax big businesses to fund homeless will be on the November ballot

(Newser) - San Francisco voters will decide in November whether to tax large businesses to pay for homeless and housing services, an issue that set off a battle in another West Coast city struggling with income inequality. The city elections department verified Monday that supporters had collected enough signatures to get the...

Seattle Kills Tax in Face of Formidable Foe: Amazon

City council rolls back tax it had unanimously approved last month

(Newser) - What does defeat sound like? This: "We have reached the conclusion that this is not a winnable battle at this time." That was the pronouncement of Seattle Councilwoman Lisa Herbold Tuesday in advance of what ended up being a 7-2 vote to reverse a new tax the council...

Amazon Not Thrilled With Seattle's New 'Amazon Tax'

Tax on city's largest employers will bring in about $45M a year

(Newser) - "People are dying on the doorsteps of prosperity." That's per a city councilwoman in Seattle, where local politicians hope a new tax on big business will alleviate homelessness. On Monday, the Seattle City Council passed a "head tax," which starting in 2019 will be imposed...

Thousands of Homeless People Given 1-Way Ticket Out of Town

Investigation finally shows where they're going and what happens when they get there

(Newser) - American taxpayers spend millions of dollars a year on bus tickets out of town for homeless people. New York City alone budgets about $500,000 annually for its homeless relocation program, which can also include expensive plane tickets to places like Nigeria, France, and New Zealand. But despite the money...

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