ATLANTA (AP) — With the World Cup set to kick off across North America, some host cities have been using the 39-day soccer spectacular as a catalyst to address homelessness. Among them is Atlanta, which last summer announced an ambitious plan to end encampments and other street sleeping downtown ahead of the tournament. Called Downtown Rising, the program said it has housed nearly 500 people. Yet, the persistent sight of individuals waiting outside downtown shelters serves as a visceral reminder that the efforts have not reached everyone.Dallas and Seattle have also launched targeted initiatives, with Dallas expanding an effort to house homeless people living downtown, and Seattle announcing a housing push to secure housing for hundreds of people.However, a survey by The Associated Press found that most of the 16 host cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Houston, Toronto, and Vancouver, British Columbia, are relying on existing programs — most without any new funding tied to the World Cup — to address homelessness.
In the past, many cities have treated the homeless as an eyesore to be removed ahead of big sporting and political events.
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“These events provide a choice for communities,” said Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “They can do the easy thing and sweep people out of encampments and into jails or other neighborhoods, or they can do the harder work that will benefit everyone in the community — housed or unhoused.”Here are highlights from the AP’s reporting:
