West
LA fires tragic reminder that ignoring homeless problem can't continue
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Last week, LAPD Officer Sean Dinse divulged that the Kenneth Fire— one of the six tormenting the Los Angeles basin— was under criminal investigation.
A homeless individual, allegedly an illegal alien, was subdued by residents within minutes and miles of the fire’s origin. Witnesses reportedly saw him wielding a blowtorch while shouting, “I am doing this.”
Later detained on a felony probation violation due to insufficient evidence, this individual appeared to harbor an intent to harm the community—an intent as unmistakable as the internal demons with which he struggles.
Consider this alongside the reality that, according to LAFD data, there were 13,909 fires in the L.A. region linked to homelessness. That’s nearly double the number reported in 2020.
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This juxtaposition underscores the escalating and enormous risk to public safety posed by our nation’s homeless policy— Housing First— that rejects a naked truth: mental illness, and substance abuse disorder, frequently accompany homelessness.
Full-throated advocates of Housing First include Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and Supervisor Mitchell of Los Angeles County, who preside over the most devastating and costly wildfires in history and America’s most troubled state, county, and city regarding homelessness.
Fires are raging, lives are being lost, and communities are being devastated. It’s time to confront the undeniable truth: Housing First has failed as a primary approach to homelessness.
Homeless individuals face dense and often interwoven challenges, including underemployment or non-employment, the absence of a high school diploma, the unavailability of a support network, and for the female population in particular, domestic violence.
Predominantly, they also grapple with mental illness and addiction despite erroneous federal government data.
During my 13-year tenure as CEO of Northern California’s largest program for homeless women and children, a documented 77% of our women struggled with addiction and 60% with mental illness. In the broader homeless population, the federal government claims this number to be 37%, but the UCLA Policy Lab found otherwise… it is 78% of the chronically homeless that struggle with these issues.
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Faced with these challenges, many homeless individuals resort to criminal activity as a means of survival. Conversely, criminal behavior can also catalyze homelessness.
In my program, 55% of our women had criminal records. In the overall homeless population, estimates range from 20-70%. Based on front-line experience and a broader context where premature jail and prison releases have surged while rehabilitation efforts have diminished, the 70% estimate is much more likely.
The great news is that most homeless can build the resilience and skills necessary to transform their lives and overcome these complex challenges. I have witnessed this first-hand in thousands of cases, and my confidence remains unwavering.
Nevertheless, such profound transformation has not and will never occur under the nation’s Housing First approach.
Adopted in 2013, Housing First is a public policy approach to connect the homeless to permanent housing as quickly as possible.
It was a great sound bite and hard to argue with… at least initially.
It meant that American taxpayers were on the hook to provide all homeless with housing for life— in the form of permanent housing— without any requirements such as sobriety, engagement in treatment services, or pursuit of work, ever.
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Shelters with structured rules, transitional housing programs, and treatment services were rendered virtually obsolete. Their funding was eliminated to expand the number of “in perpetuity, unconditional housing vouchers.”
Most non-profits serving the homeless bent the proverbial knee to the federal government approach, as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the largest funder of homelessness.
President Obama promised Housing First would end homelessness in a decade, Yet, 11 years later, the number of homeless Americans soared to the highest level ever recorded, accompanied by a 238% increase in the homeless mortality rate.
California— the only state to fully adopt Housing First (2016)— now ranks amongst the worst states in the nation.
Beyond these abysmal outcomes was the quiet release of the only long-term study of Housing First that demonstrated it to be ineffective and often deadly. Over the 14-year analysis, nearly half of the individuals died by year five, and only 36% remained housed after year five.
Fires are raging, lives are being lost, and communities are being devastated. It’s time to confront the undeniable truth: Housing First has failed as a primary approach to homelessness.
Free Up Foundation has developed a Human First public policy framework grounded in real-life experience and the understanding that humans are both complex and resilient.
The incoming Trump administration should adopt the Free Up framework as follows:
1. Eliminate Housing First as the nation’s exclusive approach to homelessness.
2. Redefine success from “housed” to helping people realize their full, God-given potential.
3. Refund temporary residency programs that instill community, accountability, and growth. Shelters with rules, transitional housing programs, and sanctioned encampments, all of which facilitate the efficient delivery of treatment services should be included. (Only 10-20% of the homeless population are likely to need “subsidized for life” housing.)
4. Fund and require (as needed) treatment services including mental health and substance abuse counseling, and employment training.
5. Ban unsanctioned encampments which are often plagued with crime, drugs, sexual abuse, and are increasingly the source of fires.
6. Re-engage the faith-based and law enforcement communities that were ostracized by HUD as it emerged as homelessness’ CEO.
7. Regularly measure and report progress towards success. Fund and reward success.
Over the last decade, Americans conceded their authority to the hard-left’s approach to homelessness. Across the board, the more a region embraced Housing First, the more homelessness climbed and decimated everything in its path— the homeless, the taxpayers, public spaces, and public safety.
Free Up’s Human First framework will foster individual productivity and public safety while restoring normalcy and returning billions annually to the taxpayers who earned it.
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San Francisco, CA
With Patriots in Super Bowl, JetBlue adds extra flights from New England to San Francisco
Drake Maye said Sunday that New England’s fans are the best, and we know Patriots Nation always travels well, so JetBlue has announced it’s planning to operate additional flights the week of Super Bowl to help more fans get in on the action.
The team’s official airline said shortly after the Patriots punched a ticket to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, that they’d be adding 10 extra nonstop flights between New England and San Francisco, including extra service from Boston and a special nonstop flight from Providence — a route not normally served by any airline.
“There’s something unmistakable about how New England shows up when the Patriots keep winning,” JetBlue President Marty St. George said in a statement. “As the official airline of the Patriots, we’re proud to keep helping make these moments possible for fans across the region.”
Fans will have plenty of ways to heard west and get back after the game, according to JetBlue, with the airline saying it will operate 28 nonstop departures between New England and San Francisco in total from Thursday, February 5, through Monday, February 9.
The schedule from Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO) is as follows:
- 1 extra nonstop flight on Thursday, February 5 (total of 5 departures from BOS to SFO)
- 2 extra nonstop flights on Friday, February 6 (total of 6 departures from BOS to SFO)
- 1 extra nonstop flight on Saturday, February 7 (total of 3 departures from BOS to SFO)
For the return to Boston after the game, this is the schedule:
- 1 extra late-night nonstop flight on Sunday, February 8 (total of 5 departures from SFO to BOS)
- 3 extra nonstop flights on Monday, February 9 (total of 7 departures from SFO to BOS)
From Providence (PVD) to San Francisco (SFO), there will be a special nonstop flight heading west on Friday, February 6, with a nonstop return to Rhode Island on Monday, February 9.
All flights have already been added and are available to book on JetBlue’s website.
NBC10 Boston’s Malcolm Johnson caught up with Cardi B on the field after the Patriots beat the Broncos in the AFC Championship, propelling the team to the Super Bowl.
This will be the Patriots 12th Super Bowl appearance, and all of Patriots Nation is hoping for a seventh title. It remains to be seen if they’ll be facing the Seattle Seahawks or the Los Angeles Rams.
“Patriots fans loyalty and allegiance continue to set the standard across professional sports,” said Jeff Deline, the chief revenue officer at Kraft Sports + Entertainment. “Our long-standing partnership with JetBlue is centered on delivering exceptional experiences for our fans, and this expanded service reflects that shared commitment. By adding these flights, JetBlue is helping ensure that more of Patriots Nation can be present for this historic moment, and we value their continued support in bringing our community together on the biggest stage.”
Denver, CO
Raiders and Bills are interested in interviewing Broncos passing game coordinator/QB coach Davis Webb
With the Broncos eliminated from the postseason, teams can now have in-person interviews and hire coaches from their staff. While many believed defensive coordinator Vance Joseph would be highly sought after, Broncos passing game coordinator/QB coach Davis Webb is the one teams are eager to interview.
According to ESPN’s lead NFL insider, Adam Schefter, the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to meet this week with Davis Webb regarding their head coaching vacancy. He adds that the Buffalo Bills also want to meet with Webb, but had to wait until the Broncos’ season was over. With their loss to the Patriots, the Bills are now free to interview Webb for their head coaching vacancy as well.
League insider Jordan Schultz is also reporting that Webb is considered a “strong candidate” for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job.
The Raiders could be an intriguing job for Davis Webb. They have the number one overall pick, which they are expected to use on Heisman and National Championship-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and they also have tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty. Webb would be able to work with a top prospect and develop him as he did with Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and build an offense around Bowers and Jeanty.
As for the Bills, the draw is obvious. He would have reigning MVP Josh Allen as his quarterback, and the two already have a great relationship. Webb could get the most out of Allen and build a strong offense for him with the hopes of finally reaching and winning a Super Bowl.
Davis Webb is a former third-round selection by the New York Giants in the 2017 NFL Draft. He would play for the Giants, Jets, and Bills during his playing career before retiring after the 2022 season. After retiring, he would jump right into coaching and be hired by newly hired Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton to be his quarterbacks coach.
Sean Payton was so impressed by Webb’s interview that he had the car taking Webb to the airport turn around so he could hire him on the spot. Webb quickly became a beloved and highly thought of coach for the Broncos and is a big reason for quarterback Bo Nix’s development these past two seasons. The Broncos believe he is a future head coach in the making, and now, he appears to be a strong candidate for the Raiders and possibly the Bills’ head coaching job.
As for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, all has gone silent. He has been the odds-on favorite to be the next Arizona Cardinals head coach, but recent reports have the team looking elsewhere. With Joseph eligible to interview in person, we will have to see if he has a sit down the Cardinals in the coming days.
Super Bowl 60 is set, and the odds are already out for the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots!
The odds at FanDuel Sportsbook list the Seahawks as favorites against the AFC champions, with Seattle sitting at -240 on the money line, while the Patriots come in at +198. Those odds reflect the common thought around the league: that the winner of the NFC Championship game would be the favorite entering Super Bowl 60, regardless of whether it would have been the Los Angeles Rams or Seahawks.
On the spread, Seattle is favored by -4.5, just a tad larger than a field goal, which notes that the oddsmakers expect this to still be a largely competitive Super Bowl. The total is set at 46.5, with the over priced at -105 and the under priced at -115. This indicates that oddsmakers expect this to be a back-and-forth game, while still showing some respect to both the Patriots and Seahawks’ defenses.
The biggest matchup looks to be the Seahawks defense versus the MVP hopeful quarterback, Drake Maye. The Seahawks showed dominance all season, however they just gave up 27 points to the Rams and another MVP hopeful quarterback, Matthew Stafford. In turn, Sam Darnold and the offense had one of their most impressive games against the Rams. They will look to keep that momentum up against the surging Patriots’ defense.
At the end of the day, despite the general consensus leaning towards the Seahawks being the favorites. These odds still reflect a closely contested game. For NFL fans, that is very welcome, especially after a non-competitive Super Bowl 59 last season. However, for Seahawks fans, many of them would be happy with a larger win similar to Super Bowl 48 rather than a close one that ended up in a Seahawks loss in Super Bowl 49.
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