Press Room

Stefan Kertesz, MD, MSc, vividly recalls a patient he saw at a homeless shelter in the 1990s. The man had a mood disorder and hypertension. Clinical guidelines and performance measures called for aggressively managing the blood pressure. But Kertesz sensed that if he were to go that route during their initial meetings, it would drive the man away and stifle their budding patient-doctor relationship. Now Kertesz is studying what primary care for the homeless should look like. His findings confirm one critical factor is trust. He is comparing existing models within the VA system to learn which features work best.

The 511 Akard St. location sits smack in the middle of downtown Dallas. It is the city's first mixed-use housing development with units set aside for low-income residents and the formerly homeless. Central Dallas Community Development Corp. and partner Central Dallas Ministries engineered the project and will office in the building, along with several other companies and a 7-Eleven convenience store.

If any group of people could be said to have been the most shattered by Hurricane Katrina, it was those who were left in Renaissance Village and other temporary housing when the Federal Emergency Management Agency began to phase out housing aid almost three years after the storm. They were among the region’s poorest people before the storm hit in August 2005, their lives once supported in New Orleans by a dense web of family ties and familiarity. Many were elderly, sick, addicted, mentally ill or otherwise disabled, unskilled or uneducated, and traumatized. Their children were behind in school or acting out. The storm was initially hailed as an opportunity to give them a better life, but as time progressed, thousands of families disappeared into the yawning gaps in government aid.

For those struggling with depression or schizophrenia, the everyday goal of finding and keeping steady employment can seem like a Sisyphean task that begins anew every morning. And in this troubled economy, the slope they struggle against has become even steeper.

Between rising rates in unemployment and foreclosures, it's no wonder that families are now the country's fastest growing homeless population. In Arizona, the number of families experiencing first-time homelessness jumped by more than 10 percent last year. That's created a big challenge for homeless children, trying to balance both school and survival. Gillian Ferris Kohl of member station KNAU in Flagstaff visited with some homeless families and teens, and has this story.

Gov. Bill Ritter today joined the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and dozens of community members to break ground on a 98-unit apartment building for the chronically homeless and low-income. Future tenants who are currently homeless will help construct the building in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The Governor congratulated the Coalition for the Homeless for its new jobs program, Renaissance Works, which will provide homeless people with construction jobs building the new apartment project.

The dysfunctional Housing Authority of New Orleans may be unable to properly spend and account for the $34.6 million in federal stimulus money it received, according to an audit released this week by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Leading philanthropic organizations in the Commonwealth have come together to strengthen the support network for people in distress and to commit more than $1.6 million in new funding to address urgent needs of people affected by the ongoing economic crisis in Massachusetts.

Of the roughly 4,500 18-year-olds who will "emancipate" from care in California every year, one quarter will experience homelessness. Last year, Congress authorized giving states matching federal funds to extend foster care until age 21. But the way that law is interpreted could mean that in 27 states, including California and the District of Columbia, 18-year-olds would still be left out in the cold.

By draining money from the commonwealth and a normal home life from children and confidence in state government from taxpayers, few things say “failure” more than the practice of housing families in motel rooms.