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Fox News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
DC's homeless response rife with years of mismanagement, wasteful spending amid Trump crackdown
As Democrats rail against President Trump's plan to federalize and clean up Washington, D.C., a plan that includes addressing the homeless situation, a Fox News Digital review found the city's response to the homeless problem has been fraught with issues in recent years. Roughly 7 residents per 1,000 in the nation's capital experience homelessness, according to numbers released in May by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which is a rate 7 times higher than the regional rate of 1 per 1,000. While homeless rates were down in D.C. from 2024 to 2025, data shows the issue is still worse than it was in 2021 after rising sharply in 2024, the largest year-over-year rise in a decade. The homeless issue has also increasingly affected young people as data shows a 13% increase in single transition-age youth experiencing homelessness in D.C., a total of about 367 individuals in 2025. As homelessness continues to be an issue in D.C. and available bed space is at a premium, the city's latest budget contains several spending expenditures that address far-left agenda items rather than housing the homeless. Washington, D.C. allocated $17 million more taxpayer dollars, a total of $40 million, to treat illegal immigrants "humanely" than it did to renovate Department of Health Services homeless shelters in the city system, a total of $23 million, according to the FY 2025 budget. The district's budget is also full of progressive agenda spending, including $92 million reversing the defunding of D.C.'s Climate Equity Commitments Amendment Act of 2024, $5 million to support hosting the World Pride in 2025, and $1 million for constructing a LGBTQ+ community center in the Shaw neighborhood. Additionally, the budget includes millions in long-term spending for the Medical Cannabis Social Equity Fund, over $1 million to establish a reparations task force, and $250,000 for a Black LGBTQIA+ history program. City leadership faced criticism last year from nonprofit groups, Washington City Paper reported, for demanding budget cuts to various homeless services, citing "spending pressures." The city has also had trouble providing enough beds for the homeless and data shows that the number of available beds has gone down since 2021. After Trump announced he was sending federal resources to D.C. to combat crime, his Department of the Interior said it was adopting a no-tolerance policy for homeless encampments in support of the Trump administration's "beautification" efforts in Washington, D.C. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that those living in homeless encampments will need to either accept treatment at a homeless shelter or go to jail if they refuse. The U.S. Park Police have already removed 70 homeless encampments in D.C., with only a few remaining, Leavitt added. Democrats have been loudly opposed to Trump's attempt to clean up Washington, D.C. and protesters have taken to the streets in recent days to voice opposition to the president. Fox News Digital spoke with several homeless individuals on the streets of Washington, D.C., last week, some of whom voiced concern and others support for the changes. One homeless man, who identified himself as Kenny and lives near Dupont Circle, told Fox News Digital that Trump is right to address the issues in D.C. after the city government "failed tremendously." Another man, who did not give his name but also lives by Dupont, took a very different tone. "This is awful, it's like what the hell, where does he get the authority? You know what I mean?" he said. "We're people too," he went on. "Just because I'm homeless doesn't mean I have to leave; we have a right to be here too." Fox News Digital reached out to the DC Department of Human Services and Mayor Bowser's office for comment.
Black America Web
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Black And Proud: 12 LGBTQIA+ Influencers Redefining The Culture
The Black LGBTQIA+ community has always been at the center of innovation. Despite being a marginalized group, their contributions to the culture run deep AF. Through fashion, beauty, lifestyle content, or music, the LGBTQIA+ creatives have transformed industries, challenged norms, and created space for authenticity to thrive. Today's gender-fluid fashion trends can be traced back to the ballroom scenes of Harlem, where Black and Latinx queer communities birthed and nurtured the art of the runway. Black LGBTQIA+ influencers like Jari Jones, Dexrated, and Aariana Rose Philip are now reshaping what representation looks like in high fashion. With campaigns for brands like Calvin Klein, Moschino, and Savage X Fenty, they're proving that queerness, Blackness, and style are not mutually exclusive—they are inseparable forces of brilliance. 12 Black LGBTQIA+ Influencers Source: Kristina Bumphrey / Getty In the world of beauty, Black LGBTQIA+ influencers are redefining standards and rejecting Eurocentric ideals. Creatives like Pradaolic (Myla), Ellesse Char, and Ericka Hart use their platforms to blend bold aesthetics with powerful messaging about body autonomy, race, gender, and healing. Their approach to beauty is not about perfection—it's about power, freedom, and radical self-love. From graphic liners to bald heads, glitter beards to no makeup at all, their choices are a reclamation of identity in a world that often tells them to shrink. Whether through home design, wellness practices, or entrepreneurship, Black queer and trans individuals are curating lifestyles that center authenticity, pleasure, and joy. They are living life loud and free. Figures like Jessamyn Stanley are creating space for fat, Black, queer bodies in the wellness industry, while voices like Jade Fox are reclaiming queer Black femininity in entrepreneurship. Their influence extends beyond aesthetics—it's about creating lives that reflect who they are, unfiltered, unafraid, and unapologetic. Music has ALWAYS been connected to Black liberation, Black resistance, and Black resilience. Within the LGBTQIA+ community, music holds that same power. From the soulful truth-telling of Kehlani, to the bass-heavy confidence of Saucy Santana, to the genre-blending poetry of Shea Diamond, Black LGBTQIA+ musicians are amplifying voices that have long existed in the margins. Their music challenges the binary, celebrates the erotic, and invites listeners into a space where identity is fluid and expression is infinite. Whether behind the mic or producing behind the scenes, their fingerprints are on every beat of modern sound. In a society that often tries to box in both Blackness and queerness, these individuals break the mold. They remind us that Black queer expression is sacred, it is necessary, and it is revolutionary. By living fully and publicly, they make it possible for others to do the same. Their work is not just style, sound, or vibe—it's survival, it's healing, and it's legacy. Black LGBTQIA+ creators are not a trend. They are architects of culture. It's time we do more than include them during Pride Month or Black History Month. Their contributions deserve permanent platforms, ongoing investment, and genuine respect. Let this not be a moment. Let it be a movement. Black And Proud: 12 LGBTQIA+ Influencers Redefining The Culture was originally published on A Black, disabled, trans model making waves in high fashion. She's been featured in campaigns for Moschino, Sephora, and more—redefining beauty norms. Black trans femme model, actress, and creative director. She made history as the first Black trans woman to produce a film at Cannes. Her style is bold, glamorous, and intentional. Writer, activist, and former editor of Out Magazine. Her fashion moments serve sharp suits, elegant gowns, and powerful presence—both on and off the page. Queer, non-binary Black femme. A breast cancer survivor, educator, and style activist. Their fashion is political, body-positive, and bold as hell. UK-based Black queer makeup artist known for her graphic liners and Afro-futurist aesthetics. Her style is avant-garde and emotionally resonant. A queer beauty influencer fusing mental health, makeup, and queer culture. Expect intricate eyeliner looks, bold color palettes, and vulnerable storytelling. Plus-size queer model who's been featured in Savage X Fenty. His style challenges fatphobia in fashion, blending streetwear, runway glam, and soft sensuality. Actor, comedian, and fashion girlie. Rickey's high-energy videos paired with gender-fluid fashion make his IG a must-follow. Fashion content creator and entrepreneur. Known for his fashion commentary, fierce fits, and designs from his own brand. Queer fat femme yoga instructor, writer, and advocate. Her athleisure fits, affirming captions, and vulnerability are a breath of fresh air in both wellness and fashion. Fashion journalist and stylish storyteller who documents queer Black fashion, past and present, with clarity and cultural reverence. Lesbian creative who uses her voice and platform to reimagine fashion and content through a queer, Black lens. Founder of Hillfox Club.
