March 05, 2020

A new report by the Environmental Integrity Project finds that 100 industrial sites emit more than a third of the country’s toxic air pollution. Ethylene oxide and chromium, both carcinogens, are among the most common pollutants. Researchers estimate that 1.6 million people live within three miles of facilities on the top 100 list, 45.8 percent are Latino or people of color, and that 41.9 percent fall more than two times below the federal poverty level.

Vacant hospitals, mental institutions, and sanitariums are opening their doors to new residents across the country: low-income seniors. Developers, seeing seniors’ need (but limited options) for affordable housing, are stepping in to fill the gap. “Over the past few years, we have found a sweet spot as a developer in the hospital-to-senior housing conversion niche, and it's an area we believe will continue to see growth in the future,” said David Block, director of development for Evergreen Real Estate Group.

Following an increase in fatal COVID-19 cases, King County, Washington, plans to open emergency shelters and distribute hygiene kits to people experiencing homelessness. Although COVID-19’s symptoms are mild for most, an estimated 27 percent of people experiencing homelessness in the county have chronic health conditions, placing them at greater risk. Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda emphasized that the specific programs needed to address COVID-19 among homeless residents should not encourage fearmongering and are caused by a “failure to guarantee quality healthcare and proper hygiene and hand-washing stations to all… [and] our inability to offer affordable housing or shelter to all.”

Mary Cease, a 68-year-old Navy veteran with chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder, may have to choose between taking doctor-prescribed marijuana and receiving federal housing assistance. Though Cease is approved for medical marijuana use in 33 states and DC—including her home state of Pennsylvania—the Housing Authority of Indiana County disqualified her from Section 8 housing. Cease appealed twice and is awaiting another decision. “We’re living in a state with some exceptions to that law. In the past, lines were very clear and now they aren’t. And citizens are the ones suffering the most because of this," said Cease’s lawyer, Judith Cassel.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, 17,000 children experience homelessness, and 85 percent of children in the district live in poverty, estimates highlight. Superintendent Austin Beutner suggests the number is “probably closer to 30,000.” Many families who can’t afford LA rents live in interim, unstable housing, such as motels.