Summary
POSTPONED
This event has been postponed.
Homelessness In America: Health, Housing and the Search for Solutions
Presented jointly with WGBH News
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Noon-1pm ET
ForumHSPH.org
On a single night in January 2019, approximately 568,000 people in the United States were homeless, an increase of three percent from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. While this snapshot offers important insights, it represents just one point in time. More broadly, understanding the homeless experience in America is complex and incomplete, undermined by a lack of data. What are the biggest drivers of becoming homeless — poor physical and/or mental health, expensive housing costs, job loss, something else? Why have there been notable declines in homelessness in some states and surges in others? Why are African Americans disproportionately represented among those experiencing homelessness? And does prioritizing permanent housing offer the most effective way to mitigate other problems experienced by homeless populations? During this event, Forum panelists will examine these questions and more, exploring innovative programs and policies that may help this particularly vulnerable population. Included in the discussion will be a description of a new Initiative on Health and the Homelessness at the Harvard Chan School.
Part of: Policy Controversies.
Presented jointly with WGBH News
Image Credit: iStock/sdominick