25/11/2022
Valid solutions to ending homelessness
"We could, as a country, look at the root causes of homelessness and try to fix them. One of the main causes is that a lot of people can’t afford a place to live. They don’t have enough money to pay rent, even for the cheapest dives available."
"The vast majority, 85 percent, of the nation’s estimated 580,000 homeless are of the temporary variety, mainly men but also women and whole families who spend relatively short periods of time sleeping in shelters or cars, then get their lives together and, despite an economy increasingly stacked against them, find a place to live, somehow."
"Giving people supportive housing cost the system about half as much as leaving the homeless to live on the street."
~Scott Carrier
“The old model was well intentioned but misinformed. You actually need housing to achieve sobriety and stability, not the other way around.”
"There is also this attitude about poor people, like somehow they brought this upon themselves by not behaving right.” By contrast, he adds, “Housing First provides a new sense of belonging that is reinforced in every interaction with new neighbors and other community members. We operate with the belief that housing is a basic right. Everyone on the streets deserves a home. He or she should not have to earn it, or prove they are ready or worthy.”
~Sam Tsemberis
Why aren't more cities using it?
