We’re back after being too busy with politics to record. It’s that wonderful time of year when Democrats have to do the party thing and get on the primary ballot. So, this week we bring you an episode on just how predatory gambling has gotten and how pervasive it is in areas it really shouldn’t be in at all. AI then plays a trump card and piles more shit on top. If it’s one thing we’ve learned about capitalism in our lives; it can always make things shittier.

On part two of our look at housing all our neighbors, we talk about our personal experiences with the Aurora Navigation Center, which is anything but a well and properly functioning navigation center. The weirdest part about this episode is we know the solution to this problem, it is tried and proven to work, and it is the cheapest option, but our political leaders refuse to implement these strategies. Cruelty must be the point, because it’s the only logical reason left.

Recommendations / References:

Aurora Colorado Point in Time Counts for people experiencing homelessness:

https://www.auroragov.org/residents/community_development/homelessness_in_aurora

Pres. George W. Bush’s administration pushed Housing First:

https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/the-fix/homes-for-the-unhoused-solving-homelessness-problem

Treatment First is not really a thing:

https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/Housing-First-Evidence.pdf

Contact Us:

Contact us with questions or ideas for other episodes at locallevelleftpod@gmail.com

We told you we would talk about enshittification again, but we lied . . . unintentionally. We pivot this week to Aurora’s failed attempt to solve our housing problem. We know the solution and how to do it, but so far Republicans have refused to do the smart thing . . . go figure. This is part one of at least two parts where we first explore the history of Housing First policies, so next episode we can talk about how Aurora failed on purpose and Aly’s experience in our very own work first, more expensive, and less affective so called “Navigation Center.”

Recommendations / References:

Sam Tsemberis Ph.D. books referenced:

https://www.amazon.com/Housing-First-Manual-Homelessness-Addiction/dp/1592859984

https://bookshop.org/p/books/housing-first-ending-homelessness-transforming-systems-and-changing-lives-founder-and-ceo-sam-tsemberis-ph-d/e14c654269cd4d11?ean=9780199989805&next=t

New York Times Article on Houston, TX’s Housing First Model:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/14/headway/houston-homeless-people.html

Contact Us:

Contact us with questions or ideas for other episodes at locallevelleftpod@gmail.com