homelessness

California’s Greatest Scourge? Camping

Bipartisan Leaders Are Bravely Going to War Against Unhoused People in Tents and Students in Sleeping Bags

Lock up your tents, California!

Toss out your old camping gear!

Hide your pillows and blankets where the cops will never find them!

Because the people who run California have finally seen clearly that the greatest scourge in today’s Golden State is not climate change and not crime, not COVID and not corruption, not the rising cost of living nor grinding poverty.

No, what most threatens our way of life is people who camp.

And so, in this the year 2024, the great state of California has gone to war against campers and their encampments.

This …

by Joe Mathews |

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A Modest Proposal: Give High-Speed Rail to Unhoused Californians

Combining Two Failed Golden State Projects Could Save Both. Right?

by Joe Mathews |

California is spending billions to house its increasing population of unhoused people. But it hasn’t come close to building enough to meet its ambitious goal of ending homelessness. And many …

What Do Unhoused People Want Most? Ask Them | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

What Do Unhoused People Want Most? Ask Them

Two Recent Studies Bridge the Gap Between Well-Intentioned Plans and What Those Experiencing Homelessness Actually Need

by Rob Eshman |

Government officials, activists, academics, homeowners, and two very competitive mayoral candidates constantly explain what the over 69,144 unhoused people living in Los Angeles County need and want. But you know …

Stop Using Homelessness to Hate on California | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Stop Using Homelessness to Hate on California

A Tradition as Old as the State Itself Has Caused Lasting Damage

by Joe Mathews |

In California, homelessness is a long-running crisis. And it is a human tragedy for an estimated 160,000 unhoused people.

But homelessness is also incredibly useful for anyone who wants to complain …

Why Won’t Policymakers Talk More About Drugs and Homelessness?

A Strict ‘Housing First’ Approach Oversimplifies the Complexity of a West Coast Epidemic

by Jim Hinch |

More than half of America’s unsheltered population lives in just three states—California, Oregon, and Washington—and West Coast voters are demanding a response. Homelessness ranked as the top concern in a …

Let the People of California Solve the State’s Homelessness Crisis | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Let the People of California Solve the State’s Homelessness Crisis

A Citizens’ Assembly Could Unify People Around a Thorny Problem and Succeed Where Politicians Have Failed

by Joe Mathews |

Dear Governor Newsom,

You’ve made herculean efforts to address the complexities of California’s long-running homelessness crisis. So have other state, federal, and local officials around the Golden State.

But while you’ve all …


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