The concept of quickly placing people who are homeless in permanent homes – rather than first moving them to shelters – has become the priority for almost every jurisdiction in America.

This approach is called “Housing First.” The idea is simple: you place individuals experiencing homelessness in their own apartments as quickly as possible – link them with support services as needed – and you will end their homelessness. You will also decrease many of the public costs incurred by individuals living on the streets, such as frequent emergency room visits or law enforcement involvement.  

 

So, public policy focus – as well as most private and public funding – has been redirected from temporary housing to permanent housing. This plan seems to be the best – especially if there are enough housing resources for everyone.

 

Yet, those of us on the front line of homelessness have witnessed a growing need for emergency housing. But why?

 

The reason is due to a lack of affordable housing units available for the homeless individuals we help. And, because funding for shelter beds has decreased over the past few years, fewer resources exist to provide these people with short-term shelter.

 

Poverty Insights - by Joel John Roberts