The Return Home to Housing Act, championed by my own Georgia district’s Congresswoman Nikema Williams, marks a critical step in addressing homelessness among veterans. This bill increases the reimbursement rate for transitional housing providers under the Department of Veterans Affairs' Grant and Per Diem Program...
Read MoreIt's not often that the issue of homelessness gets discussed at the Supreme Court, and this case reflects the urgency of addressing homelessness in every state, city, and town in the US. The decision gives a strong indication to cities: rather than criminalizing homelessness, which often only perpetuates cycles of poverty and instability. We need to create sustainable solutions including affordable housing and support services...
Read MoreAt RollingOn, we firmly believe that addressing the root causes of homelessness is essential to driving lasting change. The Denver Basic Income Project is a groundbreaking initiative that pays $12,000 in cash, no strings attached, to over 800 individuals experiencing homelessness in Denver, allowing recipients chances to restart life with dignity and hope. Preliminary results indicate...
Read MoreWe often don’t think about rural homelessness, but in addition to the many challenges that people experiencing homelessness face, rural homeless groups come across a unique set of obstacles. First of all, rural homeless populations are largely unaccounted for, meaning that they go unnoticed by most people. The majority of the urban homeless reside in shelters or on streets; therefore, it...
Read MoreThis was my second visit to the Northeast Georgia Homeless Veteran’s Shelter (NEGHVS) in Winder, GA. RollingOn is privileged to work with NEGHVS, the only rural homeless shelter for veterans in North Georgia. Fawn McKnight, Executive Director at the shelter said, “We would like to thank RollingOn for their compassion during this difficult time. Their work will go a long way towards serving the...
Read MoreAnother issue that I found rural homeless groups largely facing is shelter. For example, there are much fewer homeless shelters in the rural parts of Pennsylvania than there are in the city of Philadelphia, meaning that shelter is much harder to obtain for people experiencing homelessness in rural communities than in urban ones. Rural areas make up around 30% of Pennsylvania’s population...
Read MoreRollingOn has found another great way to reach people experiencing rural homelessness and help fulfill their foot health and physical mobility needs. I have been working with Brother Charlie’s Rescue Center to donate rolling suitcases and socks collected by RollingOn to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in rural Georgia. Like the Tiftarea House of Hope with whom RollingOn...
Read MoreAfter doing some research, I found that one possible solution to the homelessness crisis throughout America would be to simply expand housing subsidized by the government in some form. This fundamental step would help meet the needs of populations that are particularly disadvantaged. Examples of such groups include the weak and elderly, people with disabilities, and those with...
Read MoreRollingOn has partnered with the Tiftarea House of Hope to get 50 rolling suitcases filled with foot health items in the hands of families experiencing rural homelessness. The Tiftarea House of Hope serves women and children experiencing homelessness and is located in rural Tift County, GA. To learn more about the Tiftarea House of Hope and its mission, please visit the organization's website...
Read MoreWhen we think of homelessness, we often think of someone sitting under a high-traffic bridge, someone sleeping inside a busy tunnel, or someone living on the streets of a bustling metropolis. In other words, people commonly consider homelessness to be an urban problem and they attribute homelessness to be an issue of the cities. However, smaller communities and rural populations are...
Read MoreCheck out these statistics about how the structure of our federal housing budget may indirectly be contributing to homelessness in America. Federal housing expenditures are poorly matched to America’s housing needs. The United States spends $15 billion on housing for people with an annual income of less than $10,000 and $15 billion on those who make between $10,000 and $20,000 per...
Read MoreRollingOn is fighting rural homelessness in Western Georgia! We are working with Community Share Ministries located in Cedartown, GA to donate 50 more bags to people experiencing rural homelessness. Cedartown is the smallest town RollingOn has served to date, with a total population of just under 10,000 people. The Community Share Ministries operates a total of four homeless shelters...
Read MoreLocated close to the Georgia-Tennessee border, the Providence Ministries Homeless Shelter serves men, women, and children experiencing homelessness across its two facilities in Dalton, GA. Located in Whitfield County, Dalton is a rural community in the Northern part of Georgia. At just under $20,000 a year, Whitfield County has a much lower per capita income than the national average...
Read MoreOne major factor in addressing health equity is trust, and lack of trust is one of the biggest obstacles that consistently prevents health equity from being achieved. Trust is essential for positive public health outcomes, and it occurs on multiple levels. For instance, on the institutional level, trust involves public health professionals such as researchers and clinicians. Unfortunately, marginalized...
Read MoreI have been trying to get a better understanding of some of the fundamental forces that can drive health inequity. On a broad level, the social factors that can influence access to healthcare include the conditions in which people live each day, such as where people live and work or the environments in which children learn and play. Housing is just one particular example. Access to healthy housing...
Read MoreHave a new or used rolling suitcase, backpack, or other bag you don't need? Donate it to RollingOn! Give what you don't need and help people experiencing rural homelessness today! RollingOn is now collecting donations of rolling suitcases, backpacks, and other bags to support our cause. Please see our flyer below for details on how to make a donation with our newest community partner...
Read MoreRecently, I took a very informative healthcare management course at my university with a segment on health equity, and I was able to gain some key perspectives regarding this topic and its underlying causes. Health inequity is one of the most significant issues facing public health today; therefore, it is important to understand some of the driving forces behind it. Health inequity is very widespread...
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