Homelessness in Howard County

Abstract

The ten undergraduate students in this government and policy class were asked to examine homelessness in Howard County as part of the PALS program. Each of them researched the extent of the problem, the services in place to address it, how homelessness is addressed in comparable U.S. counties, and proposals that Howard County could adapt. Each of the ten papers thus overlaps some with others, especially in their description of current County conditions and programs. Their comparative assessment of comparable county programs, however, yields over a dozen examples of interest to Howard County. It is in their recommendations and proposals that the papers will be of greatest interest and use to the County. Numerous ideas are presented and the reader focused on the “bottom line” can peruse these sections of each paper to glean ideas.