#homelessness

#homelessness

Each year, there is typically a reduction in the number of people experiencing homelessness in December due to the Christmas period. Lower figures at this time often reflect people being temporarily offered respite by friends or family. We need to see real, lasting legal rights that ensures every person can experience the dignity, security, and hope they all deserve all year round.

The city had approached DJ Hospitality, LLC, the owner of the now-closed Comfort Inn on Mahogany Way, to secure up to 250 emergency room vouchers for no more than $20,000 for those seeking comfort from freezing temperatures. The vouchers were to be used on an as-needed basis over the next six months. Any unused vouchers would have been refunded to the city at $80 per voucher, a staff report noted.

Each is among a growing number of people - at least 10, as of Tuesday - who died after being exposed to the bitter cold that has persisted in New York City since late last Friday. Their causes of death are still under investigation, but some showed signs of having succumbed to hypothermia. Officials said several victims were believed to have been living on the streets. At least six of the fatalities came early Saturday, as the temperature in the city fell to 9 degrees (minus 13 degrees Celsius).

I met Carole Guscott, a retired former carer, on a clear winter's morning in the Somerset town of Minehead. She was walking her whippet, Gracie, on the way back to her new flat, past the local Premier Inn and on to a cul de sac called Rainbow Way. I knew as soon as I saw it, she told me. I just thought: I can make this place my home.'

Police arrested a man they allege shoved a commuter onto the tracks at a Brooklyn subway station this week. NYPD officials said officers spotted Ivan Negron, 39, walking through the Union Square station around 12:45 p.m. Thursday and recognized him from surveillance photos the department had released. Negron was charged with attempted assault for the incident, which police said happened around 5 a.m. Sunday at the 36th Street stop in Sunset Park, officials said.

"The current threshold for the City of Boston to declare a cold emergency is one day or more of -10°F or below observed wind chill," Wu said in a statement.

has had many lives: valet parking for the now-shuttered Nordstrom, the site of a proposed development that would have provided 494 units of housing if the city hadn't rejected it in 2021 and, in the early months of the Lurie administration, a " triage center" that police hoped would serve as a one-stop shop for getting people into drug treatment, getting people bus tickets out of town or just getting them arrested more efficiently.

I don't know what the whole situation is. You don't know if there's addiction. You don't know if there's mental illness. You don't know what is at play right now, she said, adding that fundraising wouldn't be enough. There has to be a plan to make sure that they're getting all the proper assistance. Bates appeared on the first two seasons of the sketch comedy show and shared scenes with now-SNL star Kenan Thompson.

On the night of Boxing Day 2021, my dad's body was found near a Cardiff hostel. His death, at 55, was as sudden as it was not. For years, alcoholism had been changing the shape of his heart. He died less than a mile from his old office; top law firm, equity partner. Four miles from our once tight-knit home in a leafy neighbourhood.

I call on Santa Clara County DA Jeff Rosen or California Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate and prosecute all municipal, state and federal parties who are in violation of SB 34 and SB 54. We have these laws for a reason, and no one should be above the law. These state laws were enacted to protect our privacy, and if our public officials cannot adhere to the laws, we must insist on immediately disabling all of these cameras being misused in violation of these laws. It is particularly unnerving that this information is being shared with federal agencies.

The ceremony was organized by members of San Francisco's Homeless Outreach Team, who regularly wander the city's streets, looking for people who need a bed. They also provide case management to those who have been in and out of the shelter system. It's a tough job for those who got into this line of work to aid people. "We do our best to get through obstacles," said one veteran outreach worker, addressing the group. But sometimes the obstacles win.

Though he was better known before running for his charitable leadership as founder of the poverty-fighting nonprofit Tipping Point, Lurie immediately after getting elected began focusing on crime, homelessness, housing bottlenecks and quality-of-life issues like cleaning the streets. Lurie streamlined housing approvals, re-organized and sped up city safety responses, launched an anti-homelessness campaign and won a 73% approval rating at Thanksgiving among local voters.

His age, energy and accomplishments in San Jose place him a cut above all others in this crowded race. When I saw him running up my street distributing flyers announcing a community meeting on the topic of a homeless encampment in my neighborhood, I thought, this man is destined for greatness. When I heard him speak to a crowded audience, his focus and passion stood out. He sold me on his ideas moving forward.

Standing on a busy street in Skid Row on a recent sunny day, Mary Marfisee tried to block out street noise as she popped her stethoscope into her ears. Dozens of people were milling about. Dogs barked. Music blared. A constant thrum of cars drove past. But Marfisee is used to the commotion. "I'm going to listen to your lungs and see if they're ok. Is that ok?"

A cyclist was fatally struck Monday morning on the SMART train tracks in Santa Rosa. The collision happened near Piner Road in Santa Rosa around 10:26 am, and the train was traveling south from Windsor. [Chronicle] San Francisco's Homeward Bound program, which offers free bus and plane tickets to homeless individuals who'd like to return to cities where they came from, appeared to lose some traction in 2025, with fewer people taking the city up on the offer. [Chronicle]