Arnold Schwarzenegger Thanks Trump for Tackling Homeless Epidemic

In this Thursday, April 4, 2019 file photo, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a cast member in the up
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File
Penny Starr

Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger thanked President Donald Trump and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Ben Carson for taking part in a homelessness summit and helping the state with the chronic problem of homelessness in the state.

“Everyone knows @realDonaldTrump & I have our disagreements,” Schwarzenegger said on Thursday. “But I want to thank you for sending @SecretaryCarson to our homelessness summit. We’ll only solve this if everyone works together. This issue is bigger than all of us. Now it’s time for action.”

The University of Southern California’s Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy posted about a poll it took about the homelessness problem in the state:

The issue of homelessness and housing are top of mind for likely California voters leading into the March 3 Primary Election, according to a new statewide poll conducted by the USC Price School of Public Policy and the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. In an open-ended unaided question, respondents put homelessness or housing as their top issue (22.9 percent), followed by climate change (14.8 percent) and immigration (9.2 percent).

Poll results also revealed that while many likely voters fear becoming homeless at a personal level and support compassionate approaches to helping those experiencing homelessness, those same voters shun visible signs of homelessness in their neighborhoods and want public funds spent on the issue monitored closely.

HUD’s website shared its efforts in California on Friday:

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson today visited Carmelitos Public Housing Development and announced a $20 million investment to nine public housing agencies (PHA) to help public housing families increase their earned income and become self-sufficient. See chart below of today’s funding announcement.

Awarded through HUD’s Jobs Plus program, these grants support work readiness and connects public housing residents with employment, education, and financial empowerment services—an evidence-based model proven to help public housing residents find and keep jobs. Many of the grantees announced today are located in Opportunity Zones. Created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Opportunity Zones aim to stimulate long-term investments in low-income communities.

“HUD is committed to empowering public housing residents with new educational and economic tools to improve self-sufficiency,” Carson said in the announcement. “HUD is proud to work with our local partners to help more residents find employment so that they can reach their full potential and become role models to future generations.”

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