#homelessness

#homelessness

For over two years I've been working on What I Carry: a collaborative photo+writing storytelling project with Portland's Street Community. I've wanted to show What I Carry in the heart of Portland's homeless neighborhood in Portland's Old Town where the majority of the work was done.

"Mayor Karen Bass is the leader Los Angeles needs right now. She has done what so many said couldn't be done - the first ever two-year decline in homelessness, reducing crime to levels this city hasn't seen since the 1960s, and refusing to back down when the federal government came after our neighbors."

Eunisses Hernandez campaigned as a foe of gentrification while pledging to combat homelessness and shift funding from law enforcement to unarmed crisis response teams and other services.

The city has connected more people to the resources they need, seen fewer refugee claimants arriving in need of immediate shelter and is using more staff to help people move out of encampments.

"I have lived experience living in a car and being homeless. Safe parking is really probably your best benefit." - Drew Siegler, advocate.

Statistics show that between April 2019 and March 2025, 104 children died with temporary accommodation recorded as a contributing factor to their vulnerability, ill-health or death.

The Homekey project at 1237 San Antonio Road has been in the works since fall 2023, when city and state leaders touted its importance in addressing the local and regional housing crisis.

The Pet Assistance and Support Program has made it easier for thousands to enter shelters and move into permanent housing, serving 4,407 people between 2020 and 2024.

"They want some fresh take, fresh eyes on homelessness in San Francisco," a source familiar with the hiring process said, pointing to Levine's experience with Medicaid, a federal program that is a public health insurance plan for low-income residents and is called Medi-Cal in California.