Reducing Homelessness by Housing First About 564,708 people in the U.S. were homeless in 2016 during a national survey. The U.S. has not always had such a big problem with the statistics of people going homeless. In the recent years, many states have realized what a nation-wide problem this is becoming. Many states have been working towards getting homelessness reduced. For example, the state of Utah has been making incredible progress in reducing homelessness by going through a program called Housing First, which is basically giving homeless people a place to live at very little cost. This has been showing great outcomes whether it’s a small apartment or a recent trend of a tiny house. The idea is to give them a place to live so they’re
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They will need less of expensive public services which cost the government thousands. “Nationally, the average monthly cost of serving a family in an emergency shelter is $4,819.” Semuels writes in an article of The Atlantic on April 25th, 2016. “Between shelters, jail stays, ambulances, and hospital visits, caring for one homeless person typically costs the government $20,000 a year. Providing one homeless person with permanent housing, however — as well as a social worker to help them transition into mainstream society — costs the state $8,000.” Bertrend reported to the Business Insider on February 19th, 2015. If more people are off the streets then they won’t have as much reliance on public services, such costs are therefore …show more content…
They get an address and a place to receive mail; imagine trying to get a job when you don’t have an address and competing for the position among others. One of the necessities for even jobs in the fast food industry is you need to show up clean for work. You can’t have dirty hair or skin and your clothes need to be clean. Homeless people don’t always have access to a bathroom with a shower or bathtub or a place to do their laundry regularly. “Even if they go to a shelter, those shelters don’t usually have laundry services and may not even have a shower.” Covert writes in an article of Think Progress on February 3rd, 2015.
To sum up, giving homeless people a permanent residence has proven to reduce homelessness. Taking a Housing First approach has shown great statistics in taking people off the streets in several states, especially Utah. Also, in the long run, it is cheaper than the maintenance of many public services many homeless people already use. Housing First has proven to reduce homelessness because it helps the homeless rebuild their lives in ways such as getting a job, providing a foundation for rehabilitation, and it is also a lot more cost efficient than the upkeep of public services many homeless people end up
They will need less of expensive public services which cost the government thousands. “Nationally, the average monthly cost of serving a family in an emergency shelter is $4,819.” Semuels writes in an article of The Atlantic on April 25th, 2016. “Between shelters, jail stays, ambulances, and hospital visits, caring for one homeless person typically costs the government $20,000 a year. Providing one homeless person with permanent housing, however — as well as a social worker to help them transition into mainstream society — costs the state $8,000.” Bertrend reported to the Business Insider on February 19th, 2015. If more people are off the streets then they won’t have as much reliance on public services, such costs are therefore …show more content…
They get an address and a place to receive mail; imagine trying to get a job when you don’t have an address and competing for the position among others. One of the necessities for even jobs in the fast food industry is you need to show up clean for work. You can’t have dirty hair or skin and your clothes need to be clean. Homeless people don’t always have access to a bathroom with a shower or bathtub or a place to do their laundry regularly. “Even if they go to a shelter, those shelters don’t usually have laundry services and may not even have a shower.” Covert writes in an article of Think Progress on February 3rd, 2015.
To sum up, giving homeless people a permanent residence has proven to reduce homelessness. Taking a Housing First approach has shown great statistics in taking people off the streets in several states, especially Utah. Also, in the long run, it is cheaper than the maintenance of many public services many homeless people already use. Housing First has proven to reduce homelessness because it helps the homeless rebuild their lives in ways such as getting a job, providing a foundation for rehabilitation, and it is also a lot more cost efficient than the upkeep of public services many homeless people end up