c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more, including comcast. >> do you think this is just a community? it is way more than that. comcast is partnering with a thousand community centers to create wi-fi enabled. so students from low income families can have the tools they need to be ready for everything. >> comcast support c-span as a public service along with these television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> middle and high school students participated in our student documentary competition. we ask the question, how does the federal government impact your life? all month we are featuring the winning entries. our second prize high school winners are ninth graders from long beach polytechnic high school. where c-span is available through spectrum. their winning entry is titled no

silver bullet. >> this is a huge problem in the united states, specifically california, the highest homeless population in the state. many people are on the streets with no clothes. we wanted to find out how the federal government will resolve this. definition of homelessness is an individual or family collects a fixed regular and adequate residence. this includes those in emergency centers, transitional housing, or habitation like parks, beaches or streets. according to the department of housing and urban development, over 550,000 people experience homelessness in the u.s. in 2020. this is an increase of 2.2% since 2019. the 2022 count is happening all across the state of california. help cities understand the characteristics and needs of their homeless population, as

well as decide how to give funds to state and federal homeless programs. >> your second line in your testimony was insurance, too many americans like what each of us deserve an affordable place to call home, whether it is rented or home -- owned. >> we see a challenge in our country with supply, if it is affordable to low income and middle class families. and the ability of families to access a decent housing throughout our country. >> the solution to homelessness should be simple, housing. put a roof over people's head, providing each person with it. we asked several people in our communities to weigh in if the federal government is doing enough to provide grants. >> the department of housing and urban development puts a ton of money for building affordable housing and creating opportunity for people who have had housing in the country. but we need all different kinds

of housing to respond to the crisis we have. right now there is over 66,000 people living in homelessness in l.a. county. we have a huge problem. >> the federal government is giving money to buy hotels and transition those hotels into places where homeless men and women and families can get off the street and into a more permanent lifestyle change living situation. >> with tapping address to the scale of the problem, if you take the numbers in terms of the people they can actually find on the street, or in shelters and extrapolated 20, we are about 40 years away to getting to a condition in this country without homelessness. >> while the government is providing grants, problems arise.

in a need to provide other services. >> it is only going to create 10% of the housing that we see. we feel great about it, but we predict -- that is one of the things that is difficult. it is so large that we cannot pat ourselves on the back until it is completed. >> if we were to take all hotels and turn them into temporary housing i can see that as a viable solution. the issue we would have to then battle our people that do not wanted in their communities. that, is not in my back yard. just people have to come to the understanding that this issue, the homelessness issue affects all of us. >> the affordable housing infinitely has an impact on keeping people out of a homeless situation. i do not see that it has relieved the pressure on the

city or the number of people who are homeless and need services beyond affordable housing. >> i tend to think that the term homelessness leads us to believe that they are connected to housing policy. i tend to think that we overplay that connection. >> homelessness is not just one problem, if there are 1000 homeless people out there there are 1000 different complex agonizing problems the community members we interviewed at -- give us their own opinions not those of their employers and convinced us there is more information. the federal government should create policies and investments in targeting homelessness. a shift needs to be made in homelessness to prevent it. >> there are things to support an individual at a basic life level but in order for them to be successful they have to take a balanced approach of crossing

off all of the contributing factors in providing support so that that person becomes is able to develop the momentum to dig themselves out of that situation. it is not enough to just feed them and shelter them. i think we all should do more, including the federal government, the state, state agencies and even local agencies. individuals and nonprofit organizations as well. >> take a look at europe or canada, they have a safety net threshold. citizens that fall below that threshold, that poverty threshold, immediate service is taken into effect. that is something we do not have in the united states. homelessness is a complex and controversial issue. there's not one solution but there is much more that the federal government can do and it

all starts with all of us working together. >> to watch this and all winning entries, visit our website. >> friday a look at the war in ukraine and the next steps for russia and the u.s. response. the federalist society host, you can watch live at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. later, the ukrainian ambassador to the u.s. discusses the russian invasion of our country with the washington post. watch live friday afternoon, starting at 4:00 p.m. eastern on c-span come online at c-span.org for full coverage. >> six presidents recorded conversations while in office. hear many of those conversations on c-span's new podcast, presidential recordings. >> season one focuses on lyndon

b. johnson. you'll hear about the 1964 civil rights activists, the march on selma and the war in vietnam. not everyone knew they were being recorded. >> johnson secretary -- johnson sec.'s new because they were tasked with transcribing many of the conversations. they were the ones who made sure the conversations were taped, as johnson was signaled to them, through an open door between his office and the mayors. >> you will hear some blunt talk. >> i want to report of the number of people that were signed to kennedy the day he died. if mine are not less, they ought to be right quick. if i can never go to the bathroom i will not go, i promise you i will not go, i will stay right behind these black gates. >> find it on the c-span now mobile app or wherever you get

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>> sparklight supports c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front-row seat to democracy. >> supreme court justice sonia sotomayor chi- -- sat down for discussion at washington university in st. louis. she told student to navigate partisanship by listening and educating others with different views. she also urged students to basically engaged in their future endeavors. this is just under one hour. [applause] mr. martin: thank you very much, sir. thank you very much, doctor. isn't this something? justice sotomayor: it's amazing. al