In the News - August Coverage Recap
Watch a new series on homelessness and learn more about our collaborative strategy. Check out our August media mentions!
“Homelessness can seem like an insurmountable problem, both to those seeking shelter and city leaders tasked with finding solutions. Those challenges are especially pronounced in Anchorage, where winter conditions are unforgivingly extreme, and outdoor deaths are on a record pace in 2023.
“In search of solutions, the Investigative Team at Alaska’s News Source traveled to Houston, Texas, a city often touted as a role model for its efforts to move people from the streets into stable, permanent housing.
“In Seeking Shelter/Seeking Solutions, Alaska’s News Source examines the example of success in the Lone Star State and other programs employed across the U.S., seeking solutions to the growing problem of homelessness in the Last Frontier.”
Click the links below to watch the full series.
“Houston has created a real system to address homelessness, aligning city, county and nonprofit efforts. That innovative program is now under threat, due to changes in leadership and funding.
“Over the past dozen years, Houston has driven down its homeless population by 64 percent, including a 17 percent reduction last year.
“Its success is built on a system that coordinates public policy with 100 different nonprofits. But a major source of federal money is running dry and experts are nervous about what a mayoral handover might mean.”
Read the full story on Governing.
- Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative - "It Takes a Village: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Solving Homelessness in America"
“Houston has experienced the success of a multi-pronged intervention, which shows that government can create a sustainable, scalable solution through policy, appropriations, and funding. However, public dollars must seamlessly blend with local civic, philanthropic, and business support to create unique solutions and bring them to scale. Successful models are not built in a day or a year. They take time to demonstrate impact. Patience is necessary to prove that we can make progress. Private and civic support for pilot program enhancements, proof of concept, and community engagement are essential to create the political will to see the solutions to their successful conclusion.”
Read the full article on Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative.
- CityCast Houston - "Why Houston is so good at helping the unhoused community"
“Houston has been leading the way in helping the unhoused community get back on their feet with permanent housing. A big reason for that success is the Coalition for the Homeless and their Way Home program. So, how are they doing it and where can we improve as a city to help even more in the unhoused community? CEO Mike Nichols joins host Raheel Ramzanali to talk about their success and how the Houston Endowment is helping with a new investment.”
“The city emergency management office and other groups that focus on people experiencing homelessness prepare days in advance when a hurricane is projected to make landfall near Houston.”
Read the full story on Chron.
- Houston Landing - "This summer heat wave is brutal. For Houston’s unhoused community, it’s been life-threatening"
“For all Houstonians, this summer’s heat wave has been miserable. But for everyone else living without permanent shelter, it’s been unrelentingly excruciating.
“Over 3,000 people in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties are experiencing homelessness, according to 2023 data from the Coalition for the Homeless, down 18 percent from last year. While Houston has been praised in the national media for its approach to decreasing homelessness in the past few years through finding permanent housing, this summer has amplified the life-threatening risks the weather has posed for those still without shelter.”
Read the full story on Houston Landing.
Listen to the full interview with CEO Mike Nichols on KPFT Open Journal.
Watch the full interview with CEO Mike Nichols here.
