Housing First

The Way Home

    When it comes to dealing with homelessness in the United States I would argue that we approach it in the wrong way, just like we do with many other problems in this country. That is because in this country we value money more than anything else. If the solution to the problem doesn't involve someone getting filthy rich it more than likely won't be seen as a priority. The traditional method for addressing homelessness is to invest in creating shelters and beds for those impacted. Once people are in the shelters we then seek to provide individuals with resources to improve their standing in society with the goal of hopefully being able to get a job so they can afford to rent a place to live. This may sound like a good idea in theory, but in reality, the shelter is not an ideal place to work on yourself. There is virtually no privacy as you are constantly surrounded by people, most of whom have not chosen to be there. Tensions can get high, sometimes things get physical and trying to find space to work on yourself can be very difficult. This is why many homeless people choose to be on the streets or camp instead staying in a shelter. 

    Many people who are impacted by homelessness are in that situation because of medical issues. This could be a physical ailment that caused them to lose their job and then saddled them with medical debt that they have little, to no, ability to pay off. I have written other blogs about the fact that we tie our ability to receive medical care to our ability to generate a profit for someone else and how wrong this is but I digress. Many people who are impacted by homelessness are also impacted by mental health problems. Think about the friends and family members that you have who battle anxiety or depression. You know how challenging dealing with these issues can be. Now imagine that friend or family member dealing with that issue while having to be on the street or in a shelter. Mental health problems are difficult enough to deal with when people have jobs and homes to live in with friends and family to support them. Can you begin to understand why trying to get people help while they are in the shelter or on the street would be even more difficult? Maybe it would work if Psychiatrist's were readily available and accessible but many people have to wait 6 months before they are even able to be seen. Imagine how stressful a situation that would be where you don't know how to take care of yourself and you can't get access to people who are trained to help. Now you can begin to understand what its like to be homeless or live in a shelter. 

    The Way Home and the solution to the homeless problem in the US is with Housing First! The Way Home is the umbrella that the City of Houston created to unify all of the organizations working to support homeless people in the city. The goal of the program is to provide housing first for people impacted by homelessness. Since adopting the housing first method in 2012 homelessness is down 63% in Houston and over 30,000 people have been housed. The program is so effective because it addresses the basic needs of the homeless person right away by prioritizing getting them into a safe space. Once they are in a safe space, that they can call home, then they can begin to leverage the resources available to better themselves and support themselves. Stress is one of the major contributors to both physical and mental health problems. We can't expect people who are in one of the most stressful circumstances to be able to work on themselves and make progress in a real way. We must first create space for them to feel safe, only then can progress be made. 

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