Housing status does not fundamentally change who we are, what we’re good at, or our capacity to love and be loved.

Dr. Dr. Margaret Handley demonstrates this beautifully in her essay about spending time with her father. ⬇️

A reminder that:

🏡 only 1 in 4 people eligible for rental assistance receive it, due to limited government funds

🏡 half of renters across the country pay more than 30% of their income for housing (aka 'cost burdened')

🏡 waitlists for housing vouchers are often years long

Time is running out to apply to our next #postdoctoral cohort!

This 2-yr role is a great way for doctoral #grads to grow their research experience & career.

⏰Apply by Feb 28, 2024: homelessness.ucsf.edu/education/post…
#PostdocJobs #ResearchFellowships #Policy

My colleagues Kara Young Ponder, PhD, Margot Kushel MD, and I released a report this AM on Black Californians' Experiences of Homelessness. The overrepresentation of Black ppl in homeless populations is not by chance--it's the result of centuries of anti-Black racism.
Full report linked below

Nearly 4 in 10 people experiencing homelessness are Black.

On the first day of #BlackHistoryMonth , I'm leading my Poverty Task Force colleagues in calling on President Biden to address the criminalization of homelessness in his #FY25 budget request. ⬇️

IPV can propel survivors, esp those with limited incomes, into homelessness. Our newest report from from the #CAHomelessnessStudy explores the intersection btwn IPV & homelessness. So proud of Anita Hargrave, MD MAS and her leadership on this project. homelessness.ucsf.edu/IPVReport

Some people living outside don’t want to move into shelters bc they:

➡️Feel unsafe in shared lvng spaces
➡️Can’t bring loved ones
➡️Can’t bring belongings
➡️Low autonomy
➡️Accessibility issues
➡️Time limits

Shelters are important but not a stand-alone solution to homelessness.

Unstable housing is the biggest reason it took me 20 years to earn a college degree.

It doubled my income quickly, which is something my family desperately needed all those years.

Stable housing is a critical component of upward mobility and everyone should have access to it.

Poverty is a policy choice.

Great articles by Noah Bierman Francine Orr on why Los Angeles has so much more homelessness than high-poverty places like Mississippi or Detroit. It's not because LA has more poor people, sicker people, or more addiction. It's the high cost of housing.
latimes.com/homeless-housi…

We call on leadership to reimagine a #CA where everyone can thrive & to pass #SB567 which closes loopholes exploited by unscrupulous landlords & protects our neighbors from housing instability & displacement.

The scathing LA Times report today that a large number of University of California students are forced to sleep in their cars and sleeping bags, as a result of off-campus unaffordability should be an immediate wake-up call for everyone who cares about the future of our State.

It’s sadly clear that many of our neighbors and elected officials don’t understand the work you do each day. Please take this survey to help the Alliance build understanding of just how grueling this work is.

“They shouldn’t have taken on student loans!”

Do people realize that this sentence effectively means they believe people from working class backgrounds shouldn’t have attended college?

It’s classism.

“After people are displaced, they can’t afford to live in these apartments anymore. Then they’re criminalized on the street.”

Housing 4 All is Hot

twitter.com/i/spaces/1yoJM…

'When people lose their housing, the last thing they’re really able to do is garner the resources to pick up and leave everything they knew behind,” Margot Kushel MD tells Sage Van Wing for OPB.

🎧Learn more about #CAHomelessnessStudy findings: opb.org/article/2023/0…
#homelessness

We must shift the narrative away from “exceptional individuals overcoming insurmountable odds” to the truth about how our systems perpetuate poverty.

Thank you End Poverty in California (EPIC) team and everyone who shared their experiences for telling this important story!

10/To bring it full circle, responsibly supporting unhoused people *does* enhance the community writ large, these are not mutually exclusive since the people ARE part of the community. Hence, seeking to expand the table.