As rents continue to skyrocket across America, more people are being pushed into homelessness—and for many, their car is the last stop before the street. Families, seniors, and working people are increasingly living in vehicles simply because housing has become unaffordable.

In this episode, Teresa Smith, CEO of Dreams for Change, explains how Safe Parking programs provide people living in their cars with a safe place to sleep, access to services, and a pathway back to housing. We discuss the growing crisis of vehicle homelessness, why traditional systems are failing, and how simple community solutions like Safe Parking can help prevent homelessness before people end up on the street.

When LIVING IN A CAR is Your Last Choice: "Mobile" a Social Impact Film https://youtu.be/dMBVtPx2B_M?si=ARb4L9B7s9iFwRzZ

Right now, dangerous federal policy changes could make homelessness in America dramatically worse. Instead of working together to prevent and solve homelessness, we’re now spending enormous energy fighting ideology and policies that experts warn will only push more people onto the streets.

In this episode, I sit down with Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, to explain what’s happening right now inside the federal government and why the homelessness sector is deeply alarmed.

Since the Trump administration took office, new executive orders and federal directives have targeted core homelessness policies. These changes are being implemented through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and could roll back evidence-based approaches like Housing First while expanding policies like criminalization, forced institutionalization, and arrests of people living outside.

Even more alarming, some proposed funding changes could cut housing support for people who were previously homeless and are now stably housed — potentially pushing as many as 170,000 people back onto the streets.

Instead of helping communities solve homelessness, these policies could make the crisis worse in cities and neighborhoods across America.

That’s why the National Alliance to End Homelessness and other organizations have taken the extraordinary step of filing lawsuits against HUD to stop policies they believe are unlawful and dangerous.

This conversation breaks down what’s actually happening behind the headlines — and why the stakes are so high.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Trump administration’s homelessness policies
• Dangerous changes at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• The rollback of Housing First
• LGBTQ Homelessness
• Criminalization of homelessness and arrests of people living outside
• Lawsuits filed to stop harmful federal policies
• Harm reduction and why forced treatment does not work
• Why these policies will make homelessness worse for everyone

At the end of the day, homelessness is a complex problem that requires communities, nonprofits, healthcare providers, and government to work together.

Instead, we’re fighting each other.

And that’s not just tragic — it’s dangerous.

Because policies that make homelessness worse don’t just hurt people experiencing homelessness. They hurt our communities, our cities, and all of us.

Support NAEH here https://endhomelessness.org