Updated 20.03.18
Housing Futures: Various links - see below
Housing Futures is the online platform on housing strategies for cities around the globe. The following have been posted recently.
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Homeless in Russia: The start of the largest homeless non-profit
Nochlezhka is a charity which has helped homeless people in St. Petersburg since 1990. It is run by taking donations, fundraising, grants and limited subsidies.
This organisations not only does some housing but it feeds homeless, helps keep them warm, figure out paperwork, applies for government benefits and finds relatives who might help them back in their home towns. It also advocates and provides legal defence.
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How the Seattle Housing Authority is getting SMART with maintenance training and innovation
The Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) recognised a growing challenge in attracting and retaining a highly skilled maintenance workforce with multifaceted expertise.
To address this need, SHA developed a Specialised Maintenance and Repair Training program with curricula developed and taught by SHA journeyman craftsman.
The program helps staff develop new skills and ensures they can perform competently and safely in a variety of disciplines. The training lab was built to mimic a typical residential environment and is used to conduct hands-on training and testing of applicants.
Implementation of SMART has increased efficiency, provided career growth opportunities and increased employee morale and retention.
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Why Seattle is better than San Francisco at fighting back in the affordable housing wars
Seattle has seen housing prices boom in the last 3-5 years and a deep rooted fear has taken hold that this is the inevitable path for Seattle.
Seattle is far from perfect but the city and its leaders are trying at the minimum.
This article takes a look at two high tech USA cities - the other being San Francisco.
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Social housing in the German city of Bottrop
The city of Bottrop in Germany is in transition. The City by most accounts is shrinking but a recent influx of immigrants is causing some stabilisation of the population.
As Bottrop remakes itself into an "Innovation City", the strategy for housing is also coming into focus. Bottrop is not growing so the key is optimising the existing stock while keeping an eye towards the need of the population of the future.
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Strategic planning and homelessness: Finland, the UK, the USA and Sweden
This blog is a short summary of the strategic planning methods being utilised in four different countries towards homelessness.
In three of the four countries the federal government is a main driver but the local authorities play a large role in administering funds and programs.
What becomes evident is that Finland is the one country with a comprehensive national policy on homelessness with defined national goals and strategies.
