City joins national effort to battle homelessness

Riverside has been selected to participate in the What Works Cities philanthropic initiative. The program, sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies, will help the city use its own data to determine ways to reduce its homeless population, according to a statement.

Riverside is one of 58 mid-sized U.S. cities in 33 states participating in the program, which began nearly two years ago. Combined, those cities have nearly 19 million residents and annual budgets that top $65 billion.

“With so many groups coming together to tackle one of the most pressing issues of the day, it will be imperative for us to share data quickly and efficiently with one another and with the public,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said in the statement. “I look forward to seeing how the recommendations from What Works Cities can help with that.”

What Works Cities helps municipalities use their own information to make better decisions and tackle a variety of social problems.

By 2018, What Works Cities expects to be partnered with 100 cities, according to the statement, which was posted on the city’s website Wednesday.