Once homeless and suffering from addictions himself, Joplin's mayor now leads a crusade to help others overcome the same hardships.

About 53,000 people live in Joplin, where a 2023 study found more than 600 individuals experienced homelessness, largely driven by the effects of the 2020 pandemic, high housing costs and mental health challenges.

Keenan Cortez, mayor of Joplin, has partnered with shelters and local nonprofits to offer support in response, which includes access to recovery services, job training and housing initiatives. Cortez said faith and determination led him from living on the streets to similar programs.

"I just got on my knees and I said, 'Help me,'" Cortez recounted. "I was able to get into a drug and alcohol treatment plan and then being able to be exposed to 12-step programs that, to this date, have been able to help me maintain my sobriety."

Between 2018 and 2023, homelessness in Missouri rose by about 22.8%.

Cortez expressed his excitement about partnering with Vita Nova Village, a Joplin nonprofit building affordable tiny homes. He emphasized the initiative will provide more than just a roof over people's heads. It will offer essential training and resources to help people address the root causes of their challenges and work toward stability.

"Do they need specific training so that they can get into a career that will offer them income?" Cortez asked. "Do they need mental health services, or do they need simple health services, so they can get healthy enough to get back into the workforce?"

Cortez added the city has recently approved a parcel of land so Vita Nova Village can purchase inexpensively from the city and the nonprofit has also raised money to begin building the tiny homes.


get more stories like this via email

Backers of legislation in Nevada said it would bring more balance to landlord-tenant relationships and help ensure rental homes are safe to live in.

Asm. Venicia Considine, D-Las Vegas, said for far too long, some Nevada renters have put up with unacceptable living conditions from black mold to infestations and other issues which can go months without repair. She explained Assembly Bill 223 is about strengthening tenant rights by giving them certain tools, like a process to file official complaints and the ability to exit leases at no cost if landlords drag their feet.

"A verified complaint would give tenants the ability, if they've gone through the habitability issue -- the two weeks' time frame, still the lack of anything being fixed that is promised in a lease to be there, that they're paying for -- that they have a way to access the court without putting themselves in jeopardy of eviction," Considine outlined.

Considine noted there were thousands of statewide evictions in Nevada last year but it is unknown how many were due to habitability issues because the current system does not track the information. The bill was heard by the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor this week.

Asm. Toby Yurek, R-Henderson, said he appreciates the bill intends to go after the "bad actors" among property owners but is skeptical about the potential for some renters to take advantage of the bill's provisions if it were to pass.

"I also want to be careful we are not unintentionally going after the 'good actors' by giving 'bad actor' tenants the ability to go in and say, 'Oh, I want out of this lease, because I'm going to go date this guy or this girl and there's a cheaper rent down the street, so I'm just going to let things go into disarray a little bit here,'" Yurek stated.

Dani Garcia, a member of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, is a longtime renter and a supporter of the measure. He said in one apartment, while certain repairs were made in a timely manner, others took too long to resolve.

"During this time, my family's health began to decline and we stopped having people over because of the embarrassment of the way our apartment looked," Garcia recounted. "But also the fear that we might get somebody else sick."

Gov. Josh Shapiro's budget includes a $50 million investment for repairs to older homes. A grassroots group supports the idea but said the dollar amount falls short of the need.

Pennsylvania Stands Up reported more than half of rural homes and 73% of urban homes are over 50 years old, many in flood-prone areas.

Mary Collier, communications organizer for the group, said the funds would help residents make climate-resistant repairs and cut utility bills. But she noted a similar home repair program with $125 million quickly ran out due to high demand.

"There's like, still tens of thousands of families on waitlists for this program," Collier pointed out. "The proposed $50 million this time around is really great but we know it's not enough to meet the needs of the housing crisis we're facing, because that money was really needed three years ago and you know, since then, those waitlists have continued to grow."

A housing study found more than a quarter of Pennsylvanians live in the state's 48 rural counties, where they face major challenges with housing quality, affordability and mortgage access which would allow for homeownership and making repairs. The General Assembly must vote on the budget by June 30.

Collier added a 2022 report revealed one in four homes in the state was built before 1940. Older homes can pose significant health and safety risks, from mold and lead, to structural instability.

"One in four Pennsylvanians said that their homes are in need of critical repairs, and we know a third of Americans say that they can't even afford, like, a $400 emergency, let alone a major repair on their home," Collier stressed. "This funding is really important to keep Pennsylvania families safe in their homes."

Another line item in the budget is an additional $10 million for the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund, to build or rehabilitate affordable housing. Collier said it would increase the funding to $110 million for affordable housing units by the end of 2028.


get more stories like this via email

Since the Fair Housing Act was established in 1968 to make discrimination in housing illegal, nonprofits around the country have helped investigate cases and counsel victims.

But the Trump administration has cut federal grant funding to many of them, including Montana Fair Housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sent Montana Fair Housing a termination notice for a $425,000 annual grant.

Pam Bean, executive director of Montana Fair Housing, said the grant made up 83% of the organization's funding.

"We had no notice, nothing," Bean explained. "The letter indicated our grant 'no longer met the goals and priorities' of the organization."

The letter, dated Feb. 27, stated the termination is effective immediately and is at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk's government cost-slashing program. It comes weeks after HUD laid off hundreds of employees. Many are bracing for further cuts.

Bean pointed out Montana Fair Housing worked on 32 dispute resolutions last year, staving off as many legal complaints.

"Those services are going to be cut back as well," Bean noted. "That probably will lead to the filing of many more complaints."

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is working to change policies and legal definitions regarding sexual orientation and gender identity, a class of people protected by the Fair Housing Act. According to the National Fair Housing Alliance, there were more than 33,000 reported complaints of housing discrimination in the U.S. in 2023.