Homeless News

Will Taylor and his friends spent a summer morning dismantling their makeshift home, along with those of around a dozen others, in Portland, Oregon. They packed up tent poles, blankets, and other belongings into shopping carts and wagons. This was not the first time and also won’t be the last. 

Taylor said that things are going to be harder as he has been swept at least three times in the four years and has been homeless. Tent encampments have been prevalent in West Coast Cities but are now spreading across the U.S. 

Due to a lack of affordable housing, a pandemic, and a lack of access to mental health and addiction treatment, the homeless count reached 580,000 last year. 

The attempts to clear the homeless encampments have increased in cities such as Los Angeles and New York as some residents have been complaining about the unsanitary and dangerous living conditions. The number of homeless encampments soared to more than 3000 last year from 1200. Likewise, Las Vegas also removed 2500 homeless encampments in 2021. 

Minneapolis did not have a significant issue with encampments until the pandemic, which led to their proliferation and growth in size, resulting in thousands of complaints. In response, the city closed down over two dozen encampment sites that housed 383 people from March 2022 to February.

Despite spending Ten Million dollars, there’s not enough reduction in the number of tents. Homeless people say that sweeps are cruel and the only answer to this is more housing. 

California state, which is home to nearly one-third of the country’s homeless population, says that leaving these camps to fester is not an option. California’s Governor is urging the Supreme Court to prohibit local governments from clearing these homeless encampments without ensuring that everyone has access to a home.