🧵Today I testified for @FSCDems on #homelessness in America. I am privileged to be able to speak to Congress on these important issues. I have a few things to add given the line of questions we received.
There was a lot of mischaracterization about Housing First (HF) during the hearing and I would like to clear some of that up. I am feeling a little spicy about it so bear with me.
First: Housing First is NOT #housing only. It is housing plus the services people want and need.
Housing First is an evidence-based approach to serving people experiencing #homelessness that prioritizes safe, permanent affordable housing as the foundation for healing from trauma and reaching personal goals.
Supportive services are a critical part of Housing First, but under a Housing First approach services and prerequisites are not required to access #housing. People should not have to prove that they deserve a safe place to live. Period.
Housing First treats people experiencing #homelessness with dignity, respect and values their self-determination. Requiring people to prove their “readiness” or worthiness for #housing is not aligned with these values.
Second: Housing First is NOT one size fits all. It’s actually the opposite – when implemented according to the model it is tailored to the unique needs and wants of each person being served.
Housing First is an approach that can be applied for many populations and to varying programs, including: recovery #housing, families with children, youth, and people experiencing chronic #homelessness. files.hudexchange.info/resources/docu…
One of the most successful programs to use a HF approach is HUD-VASH, which includes voluntary services from the VA & a voucher from HUD. Veterans nationwide have been offered #housing without pre-conditions & guess what? Veteran #homelessness has decreased by nearly half.
Third: Housing First is cost effective & can sometimes result in cost savings for communities because housed people are less likely to use emergency services, including hospitals, jails, & emergency shelter, than unhoused people.
One study found an average cost savings on emergency services of $31,545 per person housed in a Housing First program over the course of 2 years. Another study showed that a Housing First program could cost up to $23,000 less per participant per year than a shelter program.
Fourth: Housing First does NOT cause #homelessness to increase. Saying that is harmful & in direct conflict with evidence. A large body of evidence shows how effective this approach is for people experiencing homelessness – up to 98% #housing retention. nlihc.org/sites/default/…
But #homeless systems cannot address homelessness alone – it will take multiple systems and a comprehensive approach to achieve this goal.
Like any intervention, Housing First is not always perfect. Providers can struggle to remove barriers to program entry and connect to mainstream systems for adequate and appropriate services. These are challenges we can continue to work on as a field.
Investing in more rental assistance — including the #Housing Choice Voucher program — and supporting cross-sector partnerships is key to helping communities scale up this evidence-based solution to homelessness.
If you want to check out my written testimony you can find it here: cbpp.org/research/housi…
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