{"id":5064,"date":"2026-07-21T10:06:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064"},"modified":"2026-07-21T10:06:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:06:51","slug":"opinion-dont-ax-proven-ways-to-end-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Recently, I attended a meeting of an advisory task force in Austin, Texas, where I live, to urge more funding for housing and shelter. As I sat in the parking lot before going inside, I realized it was the same parking lot where, not all that long ago, I slept in a tent.<\/p>\n

Read more Jarvis: It\u2019s alarmingly easy to get obesity drugs online<\/a><\/p>\n

I am no longer homeless, in large part due to the American Rescue Plan Act,\u00a0signed\u00a0into law in March 2021 by former President Joe Biden. That law sent nearly $2 trillion to communities to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. And, for the first time in a long time, people struggling to find housing and health care felt they had the government\u2019s support.<\/p>\n

In Austin, the ARPA\u00a0funded\u00a0eviction prevention, rental assistance, shelter, permanent supportive housing and harm reduction programs. I am among those who benefited.<\/p>\n

I spent years cycling in and out of jail and homelessness while also battling cancer. I survived encampment sweeps, during which the city threw away our tents, blankets, food and even the harm-reduction supplies that were keeping us healthy. Each sweep erased whatever small stability I had managed to build. After I lost my birth certificate in one of the sweeps, it took me a full year to replace it.<\/p>\n

Then, after seven and a half years living on the streets, I finally found housing in 2024 through a\u00a0rapid rehousing voucher program\u00a0funded by the ARPA. That voucher changed everything. I stabilized my health, found work and now live in an apartment where I pay my own rent.<\/p>\n

I am not alone. Recently\u00a0released\u00a0federal data on homelessness collected during the first weeks of President Donald Trump\u2019s second term shows a 3.3% decline in homelessness between 2024 and 2025. This happened as a result of investments made before Trump took office.<\/p>\n

But now, Trump is\u00a0pushing\u00a0a shift away from long-term housing and toward ticketing, arrests and forced treatment for people who can\u2019t afford rent or health care. His administration has proposed\u00a0cuts\u00a0to housing, health care and food assistance, along with rule\u00a0changes\u00a0that limit access to rental assistance and make it harder for families to qualify for help.<\/p>\n

Read more Harriette Cole: My parents don\u2019t understand how hard I work<\/a><\/p>\n

Under his model, more people will end up on the streets \u2014 and then be locked up.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile, local and state governments across the nation have\u00a0passed\u00a0more than 200 new laws to criminalize homelessness and poverty, following a June 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision, City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, that\u00a0allowed\u00a0them to do so. In Utah, officials have\u00a0proposed\u00a0a homeless detention camp where people without housing can be confined against their will.<\/p>\n

These punitive approaches aren\u2019t just inhumane \u2014 they are ineffective and will make matters worse. Prices have risen sharply for food, housing, utilities and other essentials. At the same time, Trump and Republicans in Congress have deeply\u00a0slashed\u00a0SNAP, Medicaid and other programs that keep people off the streets.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be this way. We know from the data that when the government invests in housing and health care, fewer people end up on the streets.<\/p>\n

Today, my life looks completely different. I\u2019m a community organizer, and I am in school studying engineering. I have rebuilt relationships with my family. In December, I was able to visit Puerto Rico, where I was born, for the first time since 1990.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

My story didn\u2019t end with sleeping in a parking lot or in a jail cell. It changed when I was given a real chance. That\u2019s what everyone deserves.<\/p>\n

Alfredo Reyes Jr. is a resident of Austin, Texas, and an organizer with VOCAL-TX. This column was produced for Progressive Perspectives, a project of The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service. \u00a92026 Tribune Content Agency.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Miss Manners: I RSVPed to the bridal shower and got a flabbergasting response<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trump is\u00a0pushing\u00a0a shift away from long-term housing and toward ticketing, arrests and forced treatment for people who can\u2019t afford rent or health care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nOpinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Trump is\u00a0pushing\u00a0a shift away from long-term housing and toward ticketing, arrests and forced treatment for people who can\u2019t afford rent or health care.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T10:06:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T10:06:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064\"},\"wordCount\":669,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/fe567cb910ff7d95947575becc28b545.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064\",\"name\":\"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/fe567cb910ff7d95947575becc28b545.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T10:06:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/fe567cb910ff7d95947575becc28b545.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/fe567cb910ff7d95947575becc28b545.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5064#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness - Next City Digest","og_description":"Trump is\u00a0pushing\u00a0a shift away from long-term housing and toward ticketing, arrests and forced treatment for people who can\u2019t afford rent or health care.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-07-21T10:06:51+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness","datePublished":"2026-07-21T10:06:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064"},"wordCount":669,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fe567cb910ff7d95947575becc28b545.webp","articleSection":["Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064","name":"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fe567cb910ff7d95947575becc28b545.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-21T10:06:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fe567cb910ff7d95947575becc28b545.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fe567cb910ff7d95947575becc28b545.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5064#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opinion: Don\u2019t ax proven ways to end homelessness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}