Category: homeless

California Set to Spend Billions on Curing Homelessness and Caring for ‘Whole Body’ Politic

California is embarking on a five-year experiment to infuse its health insurance program for low-income people with billions of dollars in nonmedical services spanning housing, food delivery and addiction care. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the goal is to improve care for the program’s sickest and costliest members and save money, but will it work?

‘Go Ahead and Vote Me Out’: What Other Places Can Learn From Santa Rosa’s Tent City

As cities across California wrestle with a crisis of homelessness that has drawn international condemnation, Santa Rosa’s bold experiment with a city-sanctioned encampment suggests a way forward.

Blue Shield Spent Years Cultivating a Relationship with Newsom. It Got the State Vaccine Contract.

Insurance giant Blue Shield of California has made millions in charitable and political donations to Gov. Gavin Newsom over nearly two decades, largely to his dearly held homeless initiatives. In turn, Newsom has rewarded the insurer with a $15 million no-bid contract to lead the state’s covid vaccination distribution.

Farmworker Camps to Urban Tent Cities: Tailoring Vaccine Info to Where It’s Most Needed

Concerns arising in western North Carolina provide a window into the challenges facing health workers across the country as they seek to persuade vulnerable populations to be inoculated against covid.

Homeless Shelters Grapple With COVID Safety as Cold Creeps In

During the pandemic, shelters are having to change the way they do things to prevent the virus from spreading among the vulnerable homeless population. Now, as winter weather moves in, there’s less room at the shelters for those in need — threatening to leave many, literally, out in the cold.

Hard Lives Made Harder by COVID: Homeless Endure a ‘Slow-Moving Train Wreck’

This was supposed to be the year California finally did something about its homelessness epidemic. COVID-19 upended that promise, along with the cobbled-together services many homeless people rely on for survival. Interviews across the state reveal a new magnitude of hardship and indignity for tens of thousands of people living on the streets.

An Ickier Outbreak: Trench Fever Spread by Lice Is Found in Denver

Three people around Denver have confirmed cases of trench fever, and another person is suspected of having the rare disease, carried by body lice. A scourge during World War I, the illness is the latest problem to emerge as everyone’s attention is diverted to COVID-19.

Coronavirus Crisis Disrupts Treatment For Another Epidemic: Addiction

The coronavirus has forced drug rehabilitation centers to scale back operations or temporarily close, leaving people who have another potentially deadly disease — addiction — with fewer opportunities for help.

Sweeps Of Homeless Camps Run Counter To COVID Guidance And Pile On Health Risks

Authorities continue to dismantle homeless encampments despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to hold off during the pandemic to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Newsom Likes To ‘Go Big’ But Doesn’t Always Deliver

The COVID-19 pandemic is showcasing California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s leadership style to a national audience. The first-term Democrat doesn’t shy away from making splashy announcements and lofty promises, but his plans often lack detail and, in some cases, follow-through.