WASHINGTON, D.C. — More intense severe weather events fueled by climate change are disproportionately impacting homeless Americans, who are already more vulnerable to the elements while living outside.

As the president of Central Union Mission in Washington D.C., Joe Mettimano sees how the weather dictates a lot of what they do, including how many people come through the doors. An average of 5,000 people rely on the shelter each month.

"People who are homeless, who prefer being outside, find it easier to sleep outside in the summertime versus cold and rain in the winter," Mettimano said.

The worse the weather, the more people who end up coming to shelters like this one across the country, looking for a dry or warm place to take refuge.

"People are people, and the weather impacts all of us in different ways," he added.

But climate change is creating more extreme weather events, putting those who are homeless in even more precarious positions.

America has experienced an urban flood event once every two to three days for the last 25 years. Climate change is only exacerbating the frequency of extreme flood events. The estimated 500,000 Americans who experience homelessness each year usually feel the impacts first.

"When there is more rain, more storms, more snowfall, hotter summers, it does put more demands on us," Mettimano said.

There’s a mental health aspect to all of this as well.

"It’s a very vulnerable place to be in. It’s also very dehumanizing when you’re sleeping in an alley and people won’t make eye contact with you, but the weather absolutely plays a role in all that. If you’re outside, you can sometimes find shelter under a bridge. It’s still cold. It’s still raining," Meetimano added.

To help those who are living out in the elements, Central Union Mission offers folks a wide range of preventative medical care from dental checkups to doctor visits, all for free.

"We save lives every day because of work like that," he said.

BERRLIN, Vt. — Off the side of a busy road is a humble motel that has been remodeled to fit a growing need similar to that seen in communities across the country.

This is the only empty room at this shelter owned by Good Samaritan Haven in Central Vermont and it will only be empty for another hour as someone who needs shelter is moving in. The goal here is to move people out into permanent housing, but that permanent housing is getting harder to find. Some are waiting months to a year for the next available housing.

"There's a big bottleneck of housing options so that that leaves people to whether they might be ready or not to move on. The housing options might not be there. They simply aren't there," said Julie Bond, the co-executive director of the organization.

This area right outside the state’s capital is feeling the crush of a lack of available housing and the intense need to house people. Co-executive directors Julie Bond and Rick DeAngelis say they have been scrambling to help 100% more people than they were serving in 2019.

"I'm not even sure I can tell you why, except that there is a rental house in crisis in Vermont and that together with other factors has left a lot of people in a tough spot," said Rick.

With American Rescue Plan money, the state has been able to afford to take people out of congregate shelters and into motels and hotels, along with other rental and emergency assistance, which helped greatly but that money from the one-time federal payment will be spent in the spring.

"There will be some percentage of the folks who are in motels that will stay there with state assistance, but I am expecting that the lion's share will be, it'll just be over and they'll have to find, um, some other place to live," said Rick.

After skipping a year due to the pandemic, the latest point-in-time data from HUD shows 582,462 people were homeless in 2022, a .3% increase since 2020, however, the number of unsheltered people jumped almost 4%.

Although the ARPA funds are drying up, there is hope for more aid.

In December, the Biden administration announced the ‘All In Federal Strategy to End Homelessness” which hopes to reduce the number of unhoused people 25% by 2025, with an emphasis on “housing first” policies. The omnibus spending package also includes $6.4 billion for HUD than the year before to address housing.

"My hope is that as a state, we are coming together for more affordable housing options that are, that are creative, that are quick, that are things that are going to, to help in the, to stave off the immediacy of the need," said Julie.

While these long-term plans fall into place at the federal level, Rick and Julie say they’re still running out of time to fit the needs of today.

They are hoping for more action on local levels to address housing needs more efficiently; programs like home sharing or people using their short-term rentals for long-term homes are a couple of solutions they want to see.

"Is there a way to shift from a profit-minded space to a compassion and heart-centered need-based economy right now? You know, that's the, that's the hope," Julie said.

Big federal plans are a good thing, they tell me. But to address the day-to-day realities they see, actions at this point are necessary to continue the good they still need to do.

"We're just not meeting the need enough. There are so many people suffering with substance abuse and mental health issues. We provide a very basic service here, and I wish we could be providing more," said Rick.

DETROIT, Mich. — Mental health care can be a major barrier stopping those experiencing homelessness from finding permanent housing.

A unique center in Detroit is making sure people can get healthy as they work towards having a place to call home. It’s a campus of housing and resources all located in one place meant to revitalize a struggling neighborhood and help the community grow with it.

“This is the east side of Detroit,” said Linda Little, CEO of the Neighborhood Service Organization behind the Detroit Healthy Housing Campus (DHHC). “It used to be a bustling neighborhood in its heyday. It has since become this neighborhood that has a lot of blight, but there's a lot of opportunity today.”

The $22 million center will provide resources for every step of a person’s journey in experiencing homelessness.

“This will be the first Healthy Housing Campus that we can find in our country,” said Little. “We're really excited to be here and be a part of the resurgence and renaissance of this community.”

The Detroit Healthy Housing Campus will take up nearly an entire city block. The goal: end homelessness in this community by offering a hospital, a shelter, a resource center, and permanent housing in one place.

Each stop on the campus will not only help people heal physically but mentally, too.

“Sixty to 80 percent of people who are homeless have some kind of mental health issue or a substance use disorder,” said Little. “We're like a safety net for vulnerable folks.”

The campus will hold an emergency shelter, but it will also have a medical respite space that will admit people physically well enough to go back on the streets more time to address their mental health in a safe place.

“Believe it or not, there was no place for the homeless to go upon discharge,” said Little. “If you're battling a mental health issue, it's difficult to think about things that may be most important for your physical health. And so that's why we want to, you know, provide that equity, meet people where they are.”

The campus also will hold a medical clinic, providing all kinds of medical services. Little said she is most excited for the mental health care services the clinic will provide. The clinic will be open to the entire community, not just those experiencing homelessness.

For those ready for the next step, the campus holds apartments for permanent housing.

Allah Young is now a resident in the Clay Apartments on the campus, but he was on the streets for three years. In that time, he slept in seven different shelters.

“I became involved in negative activity. You know, I had substance abuse issues,” said Young, a Detroit native. “I lost two houses in foreclosure because of my substance abuse and different issues. That’s what got me to the shelters.”

He struggled to get clean, quitting three separate times.

Now, he said he is grateful every day to have a shelter of his own.

“I always had a good attitude. I always believed that I was here for a reason,” said Young. “Every day right now, my resolve to live well.”

He said when he finally got help from the Neighborhood Service Organization for his mental health, that’s when he got clean for good.

“I was able to understand my deficiencies. I started doing the things that I was raised to do,” he said.

Young said he is hopeful this campus will give others that same resolve.

“The same way it has helped me, you know this Detroit Healthy Housing is going to help a lot of other people as well,” said Young.

Little said people have come from 10 states to get help from the Neighborhood Service Organization because no other states are doing anything like this yet.

“We had people as far as California come through Detroit,” she said.

She said this campus can provide an example of a different path for those struggling.

“Those who are in emergency shelter can see people who are housed right across the parking lot. That will give them hope. They can see it is possible. You can move from the streets and your current situation and live a better life," Little said.

One day, she hopes this solution can permanently get people off the streets across the country.

“Mental health is something that affects us all, and if we can reduce that stigma around mental health and make it a normal part of health care, then we can really effectuate change,” said Little.

If you’d like to learn more about the Neighborhood Service Organization and the Detroit Healthy Housing Campus, click HERE.

Detective Scott Mandella is hiking near Burien, Washington. With him are two outreach workers. They’re looking for homeless people who, Mandella says, live in the woods.

Right now, he’s looking for someone in particular: a man by the name of Ed Davis.

“Have you made any efforts to reach out to the VA lately? What do you got going on man? You deserve a lot more than this,” Mandella said to Davis after locating him.

Davis replied, "Well, I applied for the stimulus and all that."

Davis says he’s lived in these woods for about three years. It's been three years with no heat, dealing with the elements, and fighting to survive.

His story is a lot like others who end up homeless. He made some mistakes, and now he’s paying for them.

“Years ago, I sold my house, out in the peninsula. I had good intentions of reinvesting it," he recalled. "When I have problems, I kind of get into a self-destructive mode, and I blew the money. Started doing drugs and everything. You know, I battled with it for quite some time and ended up out here,” said Davis.

It may not look like much, but Davis has built a walkway down to where he sleeps, decorated his front entrance, and he even keeps fresh milk from spoiling by cooling it in the stream that runs by.

He isn’t the only one who lives here. The outreach workers brought sandwiches and left some for the other people living in the camp, who were present at the time.

But Mandella came for a different reason, and it was to let Davis know he has to leave his home in the woods. Mandella says the city parks department is going to evict him, and the others who live in the woods, within a few weeks because of complaints from walkers and people who live nearby.

Davis likely only has a few weeks left before he’s forced to leave the place he has called home for the last three years. He hopes to get a hold of his stimulus check and use it to find a place to live.

He said he's hoping to find a new place to live that offers some solitude. Solitude he may have to cherish for just a few more weeks before he faces more uncertainty.

COVID-19 has exacerbated the homeless crisis across the country. And now, with the ending of one crucial pandemic-era protection, shelters are preparing for an influx. 

“With that moratorium ending, that means there will be more people on the street," said Bruce Becker, CEO of Union Gospel Mission.

The Supreme Court recently banned the CDC’s eviction moratorium, which stopped landlords from evicting tenants. Some states, like New Jersey, are defying the court’s decision. 

But there are still an estimated 750,000 households at risk of eviction. 

Labron Cornell was homeless for nearly two years. After having a stroke that disabled him from working, he lived in his car and two shelters before finding stable housing. 

“I’m able to pay my rent on time and just live like a normal human being again. It's a blessing," Cornell said.

He says the Union Gospel Mission shelter in Dallas, where he’s now working, saved his life. But he worries about other homeless people in the city meeting the same outcome he did.  

“Unfortunately, we only have so many beds available, and right now, they're pretty much all taken up," Cornell said.

The homeless population here in Texas has grown since the pandemic began, now over 27,000 people, including 6,000 families with children. But it’s more than just an affordable housing problem; it’s also a public health hazard.  

Another rise in cases is already overwhelming hospitals across the state. With more homeless people vulnerable to COVID-19, the surge could become harder to stem.

It’s put shelters in a tight bind and one that could push them back to the protocol from the early days of the pandemic. 

“We could not go in person to minister face-to-face, and I could not hug them. That is what I missed a lot," said Susie Jennings, CEO of Operation Care International.

Susie Jennings, whose nonprofit works with shelters worldwide, also worries about the fall in donations.  

“I'm just urging people to help us because I cannot do it. We really need, desperately need help.”  

Bianca Facchinei at Newsy first reported this story.

WASHINGTON —

The Justice Department on Thursday said it was launching a widespread probe into the police force in Phoenix to examine whether officers have been using excessive force and abusing people experiencing homelessness.

The investigation into the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department is the third sweeping civil investigation into a law enforcement agency brought by the Justice Department in the Biden administration and comes as the department has worked to shift its priorities to focus on policing and civil rights. Few such investigations were opened during the Trump administration.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the probe will also examine whether police have engaged in discriminatory policing practices and will work to determine if officers have retaliated against people engaged in protected First Amendment activities.

In June, the top prosecutor in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, permanently dismissed charges that included gang allegations against more than a dozen people arrested at an October 2020 protest against police brutality.

The move came amid complaints from civil rights advocates that Phoenix police and prosecutors were pursuing gang charges as part of abusive political prosecutions intended to silence dissent and scare protesters.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, a Democrat, hailed the Justice Department investigation and said it will help with ongoing police reform measures she has been pushing since taking office in 2019.

"Public safety reform is an ongoing process in Phoenix, and now, with the help of the USDOJ, this robust program will continue," Gallego said in a statement.

The city also plans to start a new program this year to respond to mental health calls by placing behavioral health professionals in the field. The city also has a new office of police accountability that is charged with independently investigating allegations of wrongdoing by officers.

That office may be hamstrung, however, by a new state law signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey that limits civilian review boards like the one Phoenix has set up.

City Councilman Sal DiCiccio, a frequent defender of Phoenix police, said the department "has been under extreme attack by activists bent on defunding the police."

"I welcome another set of eyes to see what we already know: that we have a department staffed by dedicated individuals who go to great lengths to protect our community, and do so honorably and fairly," he said in a statement.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, which has sued Phoenix police in the past for actions against protesters, said the investigation was needed to force the department to change.

"This is not a case of a few bad apples – Phoenix PD has deep-rooted, systemic problems with the way it treats community members," Victoria Lopez, the group's advocacy and legal director, said in a statement.

Part of the investigation will also examine whether police officers have been violating the rights of people who are experiencing homelessness by "seizing and disposing of their belongings in a manner that violates the Constitution," Garland said.

The new investigation is known as a "pattern or practice" — examining whether there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing — and is generally a sweeping review of the entire police department.

In announcing the probe, Garland also pointed to what he described as "straining the policing profession by turning to law enforcement to address a wide array of social problems."

"Too often we asked law enforcement officers to be the first and last option for addressing issues that should not be handled by our criminal justice system," he said "This makes police officers' jobs more difficult, increases unnecessary confrontations with law enforcement and hinders public safety."

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said investigators will meet with police officers and supervisors, review body camera video, along with training materials and other records. She said the Justice Department spoke with Phoenix city officials and they had expressed support for the probe.

"Protecting the rule of law demands that those who enforce our laws also abide by them," Clarke said.

The Justice Department had reviewed an array of publicly available information, including lawsuits and news reports before it decided to open the Phoenix investigation, Clarke said.

The police force has come under fire in recent years for its handling of protests and the high number of shootings. One lawsuit alleged that police and prosecutors colluded to target protesters during a demonstration last summer. In February, a local television station reported that a team of police officers had celebrated shooting a protester in the groin during another protest with commemorative coins they would share.

"We found that the evidence here warrants a full investigation, but we approach this process with no predispositions or pre-drawn conclusions," Clarke said.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams defended the department and the reforms it has made in recent years at a news briefing. But she said she is open to any Justice Department recommendations.

"The Department of Justice inquiry is another opportunity to further improve the department and to better serve our city," Williams said. "Wearing the badge is a privilege, not a right. I'll say that again, wearing this badge is a privilege, not a right."

"The majority of our officers out there act every day with professionalism and compassion," she added.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department announced it was opening similar investigation into police forces in Minneapolis, after the death of George Floyd, and in Louisville, Kentucky, after the death of Breonna Taylor.

___

Christie reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Paul Davenport in Phoenix contributed

SHELBYVILLE, Ken. — The nationwide eviction moratorium expired at the end of July and leaders at the Veterans Administration are concerned it will lead to a large increase in homeless veterans. One Kentucky program is working to house veterans before the moratorium ends.

Nearly 40,000 veterans experienced homelessness on any given night in 2020, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Paul Elliott was one of them.

“Living out of your van, or whatever, you just get tired of it," Elliott said. “There is a saying when you go into service is they try to 'break the civilian out of you' and once that civilian is gone, you never go back.”

For Elliott, and many like him, homelessness wasn’t a choice, but it is a common outcome.

“Even when you sleep, you’re not sleeping. This is where PTSD comes in, where you’re always wired," Elliott said.

As Elliott experienced, nothing feels safe. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that 11 to 20 out of every 100 veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD in any given year.

Jeremy Harrell knows that feeling too. It’s why he started the Veterans Club in Shelbyville, Kentucky, to help people just like Elliott.

“It’s emotional for me because I’ve been in those same positions that everyone that we help have. I struggle with PTSD myself," Harrell said. “It’s not enough just to say, 'hey we want to get vets off the street.' But I remember how I felt when I felt like I had no one. And I don’t want that ever to be the case that we’re around.”

Through partnerships, the club recently started its Veterans Village, a community of tiny homes for veterans in need.

“The homes are foundational. What that does is it tears down any barriers you have about where am I going to sleep and what am I going to eat. So we get rid of that for you," Harrell said.

Elliott says his life has been a revolving door, until a few weeks ago

“I had a hard time readjusting to civilian world and at this time I still do. I find being here at the Veterans Club, I think being around other veterans and this community that’s going to be a brotherhood and a family, I think this is going to help me get established and have a home," Elliot said.

“Create that same bond that we had while we were in service and that’s not replicable in the civilian world really and so that’s a powerful tool that we have," Harrell said.

That’s just the beginning.

“Then we have case managers who kind of sit down with them, clinicians who sit down with them and kind talk about hey these are the challenges you have but what are your goals? We come up with a 3, 6, 9, 12-month plan.”

They pay extremely close attention to every detail.

“Then we start working on financial literacy, we start working on employment, we start working on supportive services, we start working on education, we do training, we just want to fill the toolbox," Harrell said.

For Elliott, it’s been years since he’s had a place to call his own. With those worries lifted, and a comfortable support system he’s working on his next step.

“I want to go back to work. I’ve injured myself. I’ve been dealing with injuries," Elliott said.

Harrell gets calls about veterans who could benefit from their services across the country. The reality is, there aren’t many programs like this out there.

“It’s hard work in a way that it could work for a year and then in a day it could all go south," Harrell said. “When you’re dealing with recovery of any kind whether it be mental health, whether it be substance abuse, you can put a lot of effort in and not produce any fruit.”

Delaware, Connecticut, and Virginia are the only states that have virtually eradicated veteran homelessness, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. But until that’s the case nationwide, Harrell and his team won’t stop helping veterans like Elliott.

“If it was up to me, I’d be in trouble again. I’d be on my own somewhere trying to deal with something on my own and you can’t do it on your own," Elliott said.

The hard work of helping yourself and others is what fuels the Veterans Club.

“Oftentimes, it’s looked at as a person may be lazy or they don’t want to work but oftentimes that’s not the case at all," Harrell said. “We can’t get so comfortable and so arrogant that we think for a minute that that can’t be us. And how would you want to be treated if it was you? And if we just start asking ourselves that throughout daily life in general I think our country would be in a lot better state than it is now.”

Homelessness increased by 2.2% from 2019 to 2020, according to Department of Housing and Urban Development data released on Thursday.

The newly-released report found that 580,466 spent at least one night homeless in 2020, an increase of 12,751. The data examines the same night in January every year. The data did not capture the impact the coronavirus pandemic had on homelessness.

After a six-year decline of homelessness from 2010 through 2016, 2020 marked the fourth straight year of increased homelessness.

Chronic homelessness saw an even larger jump of 15% in 2020. Meanwhile, child homelessness fell 2.2%.

Black, Hispanic and indigenous people saw disproportionately high levels of homelessness.

Nearly 40% of all homeless Americans in 2020 were Black, while 23% of the homeless population were Hispanic or Latino. Although indigenous people only represent 1% of the overall population, nearly 5% of the homeless population were indigenous people.

“The findings of the 2020 AHAR Part 1 Report are very troubling, even before you consider what COVID-19 has done to make the homelessness crisis worse,” said Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge. “Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, we are once again putting Housing First to end this crisis and build strong, healthy communities, as reflected in the American Rescue Plan. I look forward to working with President Biden to implement this historic package to deliver robust, equitable relief to those experiencing homelessness. Housing should be a right, not a privilege, and ensuring that every American has a safe, stable home is a national imperative.”

COVINGTON, Ky. — There is a new safety net going in place for parents and children who lose their homes in Greater Cincinnati.

Welcome House of Northern Kentucky broke ground on its new, $6.4 million Homeless Services Center Thursday. It will become one of only two places in Greater Cincinnati that provides shelter for mothers, fathers and children.

"We have families living together in cars, living in storage units,” said Welcome House CEO Danielle Amrine. “There’s no place for them to go to be able to shelter together as a family."

She said the new location will allow them to double in size and serve about 65 people.

The updated facility will also allow them to serve older adults, transitional-age youth and those who need elevator access.

"Reasons for homelessness change. The environment changes. Welcome House will be able to adapt to meet the changing needs for years to come,” said Covington Mayor Joe Meyer at Thursday's groundbreaking ceremony.

Meyer said Covington alone cannot keep up with the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness.

"We need more help. We've given significant financial support to Welcome House and perhaps just as important policy support for their services. We have not gotten in the way to make it harder for them to do their work. We've made it easier for them to do their work, and we implore the other governments of northern Kentucky to do the same,” said Mayor Meyer.

It will take crews about a year to finish construction at the new location. It is located at 1132 Greenup Street. You can contact them for service at 859-431-8717.

You can also talk to a specialist about what services could benefit you by calling 311.

You can reach Bethany House at 513-381-7233 (SAFE).

For a complete list of services that could also benefit those struggling with eviction or homelessness, click here.