Homeless On Homeless

At any given night, in the U.S., there are around 633,782 people experiencing homelessness. Almost 100,000 of those people are chronically homeless, which means they have been homeless more than four times within three years and have slept in places not meant for human habitation. America has a homelessness problem, and we need to do something to fix it. The homeless shelters are nothing but shelters. We need something that is effective to get these people off the streets, and that something is Housing First. Housing First helps the homeless with mental and physical disabilities, along with addictions. First they provide housing in a “scattered site” model, giving them a sense of a home and stability. They begin supportive treatment after
In fact, 76% of inmates in prison have experienced homelessness. In the homeless population, the violent crime rates are forty times higher and non-violent crime rates are twenty-seven times higher. Crime becomes a normal part of life while being homeless, and by ending homelessness these crime rates can be lowered. When a person is so broke that they can’t afford a meal, they get desperate, and desperation usually leads to destructive actions. If someone struggling has some support, they will not have to turn to criminal activities to help their situations. Programming is also a part of Housing First, so they can learn new habits and find different resources and solutions to solve a
Others don’t think we should help these drug addicts and crazy criminals who got themselves in their position in the first place. The fact is a lot of these people are chronically homeless, because they did not have much of a chance in the first place. Many are kicked out onto the streets because funding from other systems are cut. For example, kids who are in the foster care system are on their own the moment they turn 18. The mental hospital has to cut those who are not paying for their residence, and they end up on the streets. In 2007, there were over 50,000 college students who reported as homeless. There are even thousands of veterans who are homeless, PTSD being one of the root causes of becoming homeless. In 2009 (before Housing First was implemented) there were 132,160 veterans that reported as being homeless and now that number has decreased to 49,933. Housing First gives these people a chance at recovering and supporting themselves.
Housing First has an astounding success rate, and is found to be cheaper than the way we deal with the chronically homeless now. It gets people off the streets, preventing crimes and gives the troubled a chance at a normal life. We need to establish Housing First throughout the U.S. to end chronic homelessness. It will take additional resources from Congress to create 25,500 new units of permanent supportive housing,