"Tsemberis soon received $500,000 in federal funding, which he used to track what happened to 139 chronically homeless people who were immediately housed and offered counseling. In 1997, the results arrived. The small team couldn’t believe it. It showed a retention rate of nearly 85 percent. The next best model’s retention rate? Sixty percent."
Forget your ideology and anecdotes about the homeless. Focus on the statistics. This actually works. Yes, there will always, always be some freeloaders who will exploit the system : any system. This model, however, minimizes that.
Originally shared by Adam Liss
No matter how averse you are to simply giving things to the people who need them most, you can't argue against the facts and data. It turns out that the best way to fight homelessness—the least expensive, with the highest long-term success rate—is to put homeless people in homes. Follow up with whatever mental health, addiction, or other issues they need to surmount, but first give them a safe, stable place to live. Then help them to thrive.
We need to revisit much of what we think we know;. Traditional ideas are often based on poor research, or on no research at all; they just sound right intuitively. But they often are just plain wrong. The philosophy of giving people what they need, unconditionally, is proven every time it's tried. They're indigent? Give them money. They're homeless? Give them homes. They're bigoted, racist, and selfish? Introduce them to the people they great and hate.
They're against expensive social programs that take money out of their own pockets? Have them give directly and protectively. It's both cheaper and more effective.
Via Piaw Na
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/05/06/meet-the-outsider-who-accidentally-solved-chronic-homelessness/
Because of the benefit of having been on the street, I know how low that is.
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of those who have that perspective will do everything they can to avoid that condition again.
Life is a learning experience, and the lesson from a past mistake gives a clarity of perspective that previously didn't exist.
That I think is the reason most will rise from a low point, never to return. They stand on a stronger foundation of personal experience, and recognize the choices that resulted in a negative outcome.