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Re-examining Housing First And Shelter Approaches To Addressing Homelessness In L.A.

Published December 2, 2021 at 9:23 AM PST
APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images
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AFP
Tents are lined up on the sidewalk in front of the non-profit Midnight Mission's headquarters, while traditional Thanksgiving meals are served to nearly 2000 homeless people in the Skid Row neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles on November 25, 2021.

Re-examining Housing First And Shelter Approaches To Addressing Homelessness In L.A.

Shelter vs. Housing 12.2.21

A new poll of county voters found shifting attitudes among those surveyed about whether city and county governments should focus their efforts to address L.A.’s homelessness crisis on providing short-term shelter or long-term housing with services. The poll, conducted by the L.A. Times and the Los Angeles Business Council Institute, found that 57 percent of respondents think the focus should be on shelter while just 30 percent said the focus should be on long-term housing. This is notable because responses to a question worded similarly in a poll two years ago were almost evenly divided. But what are the pros and cons of each approach, and is the best prescription to focus on just one approach, or a combination of the two?

Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk with advocates for both the shelter approach and the housing first approach and look closer at the ways each method can help solve the homelessness crisis, and find out what areas they come up short.

Click here for more information from the Los Angeles Times on how the poll was conducted.

COVID-19 AMA: Biden Addresses Nation On Winter Preparations, Mask Mandates For Travel Extended, And More

COVID Update 12.2.21

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Tara Vijayan, associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at UCLA, and director for antimicrobial stewardship at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. 

Topics today include:

  • President Biden to address the nation on winter COVID-19 preparations: 

  • Minnesota reports the second U.S. case of the omicron COVID variant in a resident who traveled to New York City. What does that tell us about domestic transmission? 
  • After confirming first omicron case in the United States, California health officials assure residents it’s prepared
  • How San Francisco confirmed the first U.S. Omicron case so quickly

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