Housing First is as a strategy against homelessness. Under the direction of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, this approach seeks to get people into housing before it solves the other challenges they experience. Its main principle is this: people should be provided with food and shelter before they attempt to solve different problems in life. Unlike the previous models, in which one had to meet some threshold to be given housing, Housing First provides for all.
There exist two major program models in which Housing First operates.
- Permanent Supportive Housing: This model is designed for those individuals who have long-term disabilities or health conditions and gives them at least a primary care and dignity of being a human being.
- Rapid Re-housing: targets those in a short downward spiral and tries to give short-term rental assistance and services.
Housing First works. Studies show that participants access housing faster and are more likely to remain stably housed than other approaches. PSH programs boast impressive one-year housing retention rates of up to 98%, while rapid re-housing initiatives have shown 75-91% of households remaining housed a year after assistance.
It is also crucial to understand that Housing First is, in reality, a cost-effective model. Communities that have implemented it have saved vast amounts due to the reduced use of emergency services; indeed, one study found average savings of $31,545 per person over two years.
However, there remain problems. Often, implementations of housing first are few and far between due to resource lmiitations and staff. There are high upfront costs with providing housing initially to absolutely everyone. Moreover, keeping the funding that is required to keep the house ongoing is difficult as well. Local resistance, such as Not in My Back yard (NIMBY), provide social stigma against the homeless, often leading to a struggle between societally created classes.
These are the guiding principles as we seek a solution to homelessness: pragmatic, compassionate, and based on evidence. We can achieve so much in putting an end to homelessness and making life better by prioritizing a home first, enabling people to have choice and support.
