Sedona Designates ‘Safe Place to Park’ for Homeless Arizonans Living in Vehicles

Sedona City Council

The Sedona City Council voted on Tuesday to designate an area for homeless Arizonans who live in their vehicles to park overnight.

In a decision proponents presented as a partial solution to the city’s housing crisis, the city council voted to allow residents to park and stay overnight in an unpaved parking area that formerly served Cultural Park, which closed in 2004.

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Pinal County Left to Address Reportedly ‘Toxic’ Garbage Created by Homeless Campers After Feds Restrict 1,000 Acres in Arizona

Homeless Camp

Officials in Pinal County are reportedly working to address toxic garbage caused by illegal camping by the homeless after the Bureau of Land Management displaced them by closing 1,000 acres of public land in Apache Junction and the Tonto National Forest to create a new recreation area.

Pinal County Supervisor Jeff Serdy confirmed local authorities are left to confront the numbers of “boondockers,” “nomads” and “truly homeless” who were displaced after BLM closed the acreage to build a recreation area in remarks to ABC 15.

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Greater Phoenix Area Receives $46.5 Million in Federal Funds for Homeless as Arizona Spending Reportedly Nears $1 Billion

homelessness in Arizona

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) announced last week the federal government awarded over $40 million to supplement programs supporting the homeless. The federal money was announced as state spending on homelessness reportedly nears $1 billion per year.

MAG announced in a press release that “more than $46.5 million in federal funding” will be provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to “help fund dozens of local homelessness programs.” The figure is also $10 million higher than the previous year’s federal commitment, MAG explained.

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Report: Arizona Homelessness Spending near $1 Billion, Mostly on Housing

A new report from the Common Sense Institute of Arizona determines that spending on homelessness in the Grand Canyon State is roughly $1 billion.

The think tank analyzed data from both the public and private sectors to see how much was going toward the issue, and the vast majority of the spending, $678-807 million, was directed toward Maricopa County in recent years.

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Phoenix Approves Over $1 Million for Homeless Shelter amid Concern ‘The Zone’ Could Reemerge

The City of Phoenix last Wednesday approved just over $1 million to Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS), which operates the city’s largest homeless shelter.

Phoenix made the payment using leftover federal funds originally earmarked for COVID-19 recovery, but CASS warned the organization still has a shortfall of around $500,000 that could threaten its ability to provide shelter services, explaining that it filed three state grant requests that were denied by Arizona.

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Los Angeles Private School Forced to Close Due to Homelessness and Drug Use

Academy of Media Arts

A private school in Los Angeles was forced to close due to rising safety concerns as a result of the homeless and drug-abusing population in the vicinity.

As Fox News reports, the circumstances of the closure are detailed in a lawsuit filed by Dana Hammond, the founder of the Academy of Media Arts. Hammond claims that the city’s failure to adequately protect the school from vagrants constituted a breach of contract with the building that hosted the school.

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Commentary: President Trump’s Plan to Save America’s Cities

Trump NYC

With all the devastating news about urban crime, drug overdoses, illegal immigration, rampant homelessness, out-of-control budgets, and educational failures, it is encouraging that President Donald Trump has committed his next administration to a saving America’s cities.

As Just the News reported, “With the nation’s first primary state as a backdrop, former President Donald Trump took aim Saturday at Democrats’ urban strongholds, vowing to both secure and revitalize blue cities weary from years of violence and economic decay.”

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Report: Ohio Homelessness Rising

Homeless Person

Higher rents and a reduction in pandemic assistance caused a spike in homelessness in Ohio over the past year, according to a group advocating for more affordable housing around the state.

The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio pointed to U.S. Department of House and Urban Development data that showed more than 11,000 Ohioans homeless on one January night in 2023. That number was a 6.9% increase from the previous year’s count.

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Metro Nashville Council Member Jeff Eslick Exposes Shocking Drop in Law Enforcement Downtown

Metro Nashville Council Member Jeff Eslick joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Thursday to detail his discoveries into the precipitous drop in law enforcement and its effect on the state of public safety downtown on the heels of the city announcing the Hermitage homeless encampment will be taken down in January.

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San Francisco Facing Deadliest Year Ever for Overdoses

The far-left city of San Francisco is set to have its deadliest year on record in terms of drug overdoses, further emphasizing the coastal city’s struggles with rising crime, homelessness, and drug abuse.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the California city recorded 692 accidental overdose deaths from January to October of 2023, as reported by the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner last month. By the end of the year, that total is expected to top 800, surpassing the previous record of 720 deaths in 2020.

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State Senator Justine Wadsack Warns Governor Hobbs ‘Unwilling’ to Address Homeless as ‘The Zone’ Persists

State Senator Justine Wadsack (R-Tucson) blamed Arizona Democrats, namely Governor Katie Hobbs, for the continuing Arizona homeless crisis, even as Phoenix’s “The Zone” continues to persist months after court ordered the city to clear the camp.

In a statement to The Arizona Sun Times, Wadsack warned Democrats are “unwilling to work across the aisle” to address the homeless crisis. “I have personally witnessed the human tragedies that occur in ‘The Zone,’ every day when I’m leaving the Capitol. We have the same issues in Southern Arizona.” Wadsack added, “I’ve personally spoken to those affected by homelessness and creating real solutions that start immediately will be a top priority for me in 2024.”

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Phoenix Asks Judge for More Time to Clear ‘The Zone’ as Most Residents Remain

City officials asked a Maricopa County judge for more time to finish clearing “The Zone,” and revealed that its plan to clear the homeless camp will conclude in another 9 months, even as the majority of the camp’s residents remain.

Phoenix officials were in court again this week as attorneys representing local business owners and residents claimed the city was taking too long to clear the homeless encampment, which has reportedly decreased in population by about 300 residents since the city was ordered to clear it in March. About 1,000 people were reported to reside in “The Zone” at its peak, and so far about 300 people have been relocated.

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State Rep. Gress: Scottsdale Could ‘Export’ Homeless from ‘The Zone’ to Hotel Near School, Neighborhood

State Representative Matt Gress (R-Scottsdale) is sounding the alarm over a $940,000 state grant to house homeless in a Scottsdale hotel, including former residents of “The Zone” and foreign nationals.

Just under $1 million from the $60 million Homeless Shelter and Services Fund, created by Gov. Katie Hobbs in the new Arizona budget, will be spent on 10 hotel rooms dedicated to the homeless of Scottsdale.

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Arizona Court Declares Phoenix Needs to Clean Up Large Homeless Encampment

The Maricopa County Superior Court made a preliminary order Monday regarding the lawsuit against Phoenix by city residents alleging that it was creating a public nuisance by not cleaning up “the Zone,” a massive homeless encampment near downtown. Judge Scott Blaney ruled in the resident’s favor, ordering the city to clean up.

“Today’s ruling offers hope not just for the homeless themselves—who, after all, don’t deserve to be left in a ghettoized section of the city’s roads—but to the ignored small-business owners in the area, who are forced to try to earn a living in the midst of such chaos,” wrote Timothy Sandefur, Vice President of Legal Affairs at the Goldwater Institute (GI), who previously filed an amicus brief in this case.

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Part of Wisconsin Opioid Settlement to Fund Housing Program

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) is preparing to allocate a large fraction of opioid settlement money toward a new housing program for those in recovery.

In February 2021, an assemblage of 47 states including Wisconsin announced an agreement with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company would yield a total of $573 million for the jurisdictions in recompense for the corporation’s alleged role in the opioid epidemic. Prior to the settlement, state Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) and prosecutors across the country undertook an investigation that led to allegations that McKinsey devised promotions for high-strength pain medications resulting in widespread, improper use. 

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Ohio Senators Portman and Brown Sponsor Senate Version of Bill Expanding Low-Income Housing Tax Credit

Ohio’s two U.S. senators this week proposed a Senate bill making full-time students eligible for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. 

U.S. Representatives Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-2) and Danny Davis (D-IL-7) introduced a House version of the measure earlier this week. The proposed change to the program would make LIHTC, which provides tax relief to developers who build or rehabilitate low-cost rental units, allow full-time students to live on sites that were funded by the credit. The current prohibition on such students living in those buildings was intended to prevent LIHTC from aiding the construction of dormitories. 

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Ohio Congressman Wenstrup Sponsors Bill to Expand Housing Availability for Homeless Veterans and Students

U.S. Representatives Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-2) and Danny Davis (D-IL-7) this week introduced a measure to assist homeless veterans, foster youth and others in obtaining affordable housing as they seek college degrees. 

Wenstrup and Davis hope to change the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), which lightens the tax burden on developers constructing or rehabilitating low-cost rental units. Currently, LIHTC does not permit full-time students to avail themselves of LIHTC-funded housing sites. This restriction was written to prevent the tax credit from funding dormitory buildings. 

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Maricopa County Records Highest Number of Heat-Related Deaths Since Beginning Surveillance

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) unveiled its annual heat-associated death report, reporting 339 people in 2021, as the County says it is working to bring this number down.

“MCDPH continues to work with community partners to raise awareness of prevention strategies and to educate the community about heat-related illness. Our community partners and cities and towns have come together to establish cooling centers throughout the county,” said MCDPH Public Health Scientist Dr. Ariella Dale to the Arizona Sun Times. “It is also important that we all check in on our families, friends, and neighbors to ensure their A/C is functioning properly and they have access to cool indoor environments to prevent these tragedies from occurring.”

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Nashville Breaks Ground on First Permanent Supportive Housing Complex

Nashville Tuesday broke ground on its first permanent supportive housing complex, complete with amenities to house the homeless, the drug-addicted, and those with mental health issues. 

“Today is the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication by a number of leaders, many of whom are here today,” Mayor John Cooper (D) said at a press conference. “I am honored to be part of this official groundbreaking for Nashville’s first permanent supportive housing development.”

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San Francisco Spent $160 Million Only to Have Homeless People Die in Rat-Infested Hotels

A housing project based out of old hotels in San Francisco became the site of overdoses, rampant crime, violence and unsafe living conditions, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.

The hotels are the main components of the city’s $160 million permanent supportive housing program, which failed in its goal of helping residents gain enough stability to find independence and their own housing, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. A quarter of the tenants tracked by the government after exiting supportive housing in 2020 died.

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Kari Lake Commentary: Ending Homelessness in Arizona

Arizona is a state defined by limitless potential, a spirit of boundless liberty, and exceptional care for our neighbors. But Arizona’s political leadership has failed by plunging our cities into a crisis of unhelpful compassion and false sincerity. Throughout this campaign, and in my previous job as an Arizona journalist , I’ve had the opportunity to explore almost every inch of this beautiful state. And I’ve seen with dawning horror the growing homelessness crisis afflicting our cities. As Governor, I’ll protect our citizens from crime by ending this crisis and restore dignity to the homeless our political class has turned their backs on.

To start, we must empower police to bring order to our streets and protect our citizens from the affliction of homelessness: crime, sexual assaults, human trafficking, and public intoxication. Public spaces like parks and city sidewalks are not taxpayer sponsored reservations for the mentally-ill and drug addicted. We had tent cities in Arizona before, ironically, the left weren’t big fans of those back then. These spaces are a part of our communities and our homes. Commuters should never have to worry they’ll be mugged or carjacked, parents should never fear for their child’s safety at the park, and women should never fear potential sexual assault on our streets. We can quickly restore order by implementing a statewide urban camping ban, enhancing quality-of-life law enforcement, and aggressively arresting, and prosecuting, homeless individuals who break the law. Safety must come first, and Arizona must not be allowed to deteriorate into a dead city like San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.

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Republican Shakes Up Race for California Fiscal Watchdog

Lanhee Chen

Lanhee Chen, an educator and GOP policy adviser to presidential candidates, could have reconsidered his plans to run for state controller in California after the recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom flopped so badly in September.

Despite false poll-driven drama over the summer, Newsom easily sailed to victory in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one and Republican registrations have continued to dwindle in recent years.

Chen, 43, certainly doesn’t need the unglamorous and usually thankless job. In recent years, the statewide-elected controller post, California’s top bean-counter and auditor, has mainly operated outside the media spotlight even though the office holder is considered the state’s chief financial officer. That could change if the next controller is willing to shake up business as usual in Sacramento— exactly what Chen is pledging to do.

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Second Meeting on Outdoor Homelessness in Nashville Results in No Plan

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — The second Nashville Metro meeting held by Jim Schulman resulted in no plan to tackle the outdoor homelessness situation in the city. The Tennessee Star covered the first meeting from the previous night, where citizens gathered to discuss their ideas on how to address the city’s homelessness issues. 

Similar to the first meeting, over a hundred citizens attended, but this time with the expectation for there to be an outline of a plan that the community could agree on. 

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Nashville Vice Mayor Jim Schulman Hosts First Public Meeting to Discuss Plans for Outdoor Homelessness

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Vice Mayor Jim Schulman held the first public meeting to discuss outdoor homelessness in Nashville. The meeting was a first of a two-part public discussion scheduled to continue Wednesday. Over 100 concerned citizens from the community met at the Nashville Public Library to discuss their ideas of possible solutions for the outdoor homeless population in the city.

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Nashville Metro Council Will Hold Two Day Public Discussion on Homelessness in the City

Nashville’s Metro will hold a two-day public discussion to tackle the homelessness problem in Nashville. Beginning next Wednesday, anyone who wants to discuss their ideas on how the city can tackle homelessness in Nashville is invited to attend and speak.

The event will be held at the Downtown Public Library at 615 Church Street, in the first-floor conference room. The meeting will be from 5 PM to 8 PM. The second meeting will be held on December 1st, at the same time and location. There will be an overflow room if needed.

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Mayor John Cooper Releases Statement After Community Backlash over Homeless Camp Tours

Mayor John Cooper released a statement Tuesday defending his decision to organize tours with Metro Council members of homeless encampments in Nashville. Councilman Colby Sledge tipped the public to the goings-on by the mayor’s office, which prompted citizens’ angry responses.

Cooper’s statement explained the tours were “to help in understanding the intended use of the proposed funding and the installation of cameras in particular. Metro agencies will be present to answer questions, and all visits will be conducted in a manner respectful of the individuals who may be present in the encampments.”

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Metro Asks for $1.9 Million to Clean and Manage Parks

Nashville’s Metro Parks asked the Metro Council for $1.9 million to clean and manage some of the cities parks. Metro Parks requested the money in October during the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee.

From the $1.9 million, about $850,000 will be put towards renovating Brookmeade Park. Brookmeade has become a permanent campsite to many in the homeless community after Nashville “evicted” people who were living under the Jefferson Bridge.

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Commentary: Biden’s Eviction Moratorium Reveals Tragic Disdain for the Constitution

One night while we were sleeping, America lost its Constitution.

That’s not such an unrealistic scenario, and it can happen without gunfire or marches in the streets. In fact, with very little drama, it may be occurring at this moment. By itself, the U.S. Constitution is merely a collection of words. Only citizens who cherish liberty give the document real meaning, and if they remain silent when it’s under threat – as it surely is at this hour – our rights and freedoms become imperiled.

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Denver Spends More on Homeless Than Schools and Police

Denver spent twice as much money on its homeless population than it did on its students and police, a Common Sense Institute August report showed.

The city spent between $41,679 and $104,201 per person on its homeless population, compared to $19,202 per student in K-12 public schools in 2020, according to the report. In total it spent $481 million on healthcare, housing and other services for homeless people, over $100 million more than the Department of Public Safety’s budget.

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California Spent $13 Million to Guard 120 Empty Homes

Several tents on the side of the street

The state government of California has been revealed to have spent $13 million on providing security for 120 empty houses for five months, even as a homeless crisis ravaged the state, Fox News reports.

In a report broken by local outlet Fox 11, the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) paid $9 million to the highway patrol from November 2020 to April 2021, and gave another $4 million to a private security firm over the same period, all for the purpose of protecting the vacant houses in Pasadena.

In a statement addressing the report, CalTrans said that the houses had been purchased by the government 60 years ago, when there were plans for a change in the local infrastructure by connecting the 710 freeway to the 210. However, that project “is no longer moving forward,” the government statement declared.

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Phoenix City Council Allocates $8 Million in CARES Funding for Homeless Shelters

Phoenix City Council approved $8 million in CARES Act Funding for two nonprofit organizations to provide homeless shelter services. The contracts began on Thursday and end June 2023. 

These contracts are the latest effort to mitigate over 7,400 individuals that make up Phoenix’s homeless population – an estimated 11 percent increase from the 2019. Currently, there are only enough shelter beds for approximately 23 percent of the city’s homeless population.

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’60 Minutes’ Chronicles Columbus’ Struggles During COVID Lockdowns

Sunday night, CBS’ “60 Minutes” chronicled the struggle in the city of Columbus, especially among young people, during the COVID-19 lockdowns that cost many their livelihoods.

The center of the segment was 23-year-old Courtney Yoder, who before the pandemic was homeless, and had almost saved enough money from working to be able to move off the streets before the birth of her first child. 

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City of Richmond Will Use Group Initiative to Shelter Homeless Population This Winter

In the effort to combat homelessness and provide adequate inside sheltering options amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Richmond is contracting with faith-based groups in the area and the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC), a network of service providers that aid the homeless population.

In past years Richmond has used the Anne Gile Center, located in Upper Shockoe Valley just north of downtown, as the city’s primary Cold Weather Overflow Shelter (CWOS), but it was closed down this year in part because of COVID concerns and partly in favor of the new plan.

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Commentary: Venice Beach’s Monster on the Midway

When President Trump arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday, he had a few words to say about the city’s homeless problem. “We can’t let Los Angeles, San Francisco, and numerous other cities destroy themselves by allowing what’s happening,” the president told reporters. “In many cases [building tenants] came from other countries and they moved to Los Angeles or they moved to San Francisco because of the prestige of the city, and all of a sudden they have hundreds and hundreds of tents and people living at the entrance to their office building. And the people of San Francisco are fed up, and the people of Los Angeles are fed up.”

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New Bill Provides Tax Exemption for Ohio’s Disabled Veterans

A bill currently under consideration by the Ohio Legislature would exempt disability service pay, made to honorably discharged veterans, from state income taxes. House Bill 18 (HB 18) was introduced to the Ohio House of Representatives last month. Wednesday, the bill finally came to a vote where it passed by an almost unprecedented  98-0 votes. It has now been introduced tot he Senate where it is expected to pass with similar support. In a statement,  the bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Erica Crawley, (D-Columbus) stated: This is a great example of how the legislature can work together to deliver real results that have a minimal fiscal impact on the state and keep Ohio’s promise to our veterans by eliminating hardships, Rep. Crawley is a Navy veteran. The Department of Veterans Affairs defines disability compensation as: Disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to Veterans who are determined by VA to be disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service. These disabilities are considered to be service connected. To be eligible for compensation, the Veteran must have been separated or discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. As of 2013, over 800,000 of the more than 21…

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The Destruction of Venice Beach Epitomizes California’s Idiocracy

by Edward Ring   Venice Beach, California, used to be one of California’s great places. A Bohemian gem, nestled against the sand between big Los Angeles and the vast Pacific Ocean. Rents used to be a little lower in Venice compared to other coastal neighborhoods. The locals mingled with surfers, artists, street performers, and tourists. People from suburbs further inland migrated to Venice’s beaches on sunny weekends year-round. Venice was affordable, inviting, inclusive. That was then. Today, Venice Beach is off limits to families who used to spend their Saturdays on the sand. It’s too dangerous. On the sand, beached seaweed now mingles with syringes, feces, broken glass, and other trash, and the ocean has become the biggest outdoor toilet in the city. More than 1,000 vagrants now consider Venice Beach their permanent home. At the same time as real estate values exploded all along the California coast, the homeless population soared. In Venice, where the median price of a home is $2.1 million, makeshift shelters line the streets and alleys, as the affluent and the indigent fitfully coexist. What has happened in Venice is representative of what’s happened to California. If progressives take back the White House in 2020, it will…

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