The Seattle Times

How much will homelessness rise? Grim study shows possible ‘impact of doing nothing,’ researchers say

A recession following the coronavirus pandemic could cause twice as much homelessness nationwide as the Great Recession did more than a decade ago, says a grim study released by Economic Roundtable, an L.A. research group.

“This report certainly is a warning alarm for the potential impact of doing nothing,” said Dennis Culhane, a renowned homelessness researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice.

Culhane pointed out that Congress never provided direct relief to everyone in the United States in 2009 or 2010 — the middle of the Great Recession — except for extended unemployment benefits.

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