The success of states across the nation in handling the need for homes, shelters for the homeless and the poorest Americans, varies widely. The Illinois budget impasse halted funding and brought programs to a standstill. Utah’s sparkling success, reducing their homeless rate by 91 percent with the Housing First Initiative, is a bright spot, but on the flip side, there’s the continuing failure of New York City, where the homeless rate is 86 percent higher than 10 years ago with shelters in horrible condition. In a case with several layers, a church in North Carolina protested the placement of a shelter next door, although they provided meals for the community. Even across the warm Pacific Ocean, the problem exists: Hawaii declared a state of emergency in 2015 with 465 per 100,000 residents homeless.
