President Trump appointed Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon, to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This week the Senate advanced his nomination, bringing him one step closer to becoming secretary.
KALW reporter Liza Veale sat down to explain how leadership changes on the national level could affect housing programs here in the Bay Area, and to take stock of the prospects for affordable housing policy at the state level.
VEALE: The last time homelessness was this bad nationwide was during the Great Depression, and what happened then was the federal government responded with the New Deal.
This story is part of KALW's series about preserving the Bay Area's affordable housing. Much of the housing debate focuses on new developments. But what can be done to help people who already live here? The series explores some possible answers.
Correction: The audio above and a previous version of this web post incorrectly stated the percentage of Berkeley's homeless population in relation to the whole. According to this recent City of Berkeleyreport, the number is closer to 1 percent.
