Is there a solution to homelessness?
█ SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
Living on the streets can have detrimental effects on a person’s health and can lead to facing catastrophic situations without having access to assistance. “The longer people are out on the streets, the worse they get, and the more severe their mental illness, usually the more severe their addiction because the addiction oftentimes is a way to cover up their social anxieties and their fears. People don’t realize the most dangerous time if your homeless is nighttime,” cautioned Ken Craft.
Supportive housing can offer safe shelter with intensive coordinated services to assist people facing homelessness in maintaining stability and getting the proper care they need to live and thrive in the community.
Benefits
Extensive research has revealed that supportive housing can:
- Provide suitable health care for people with disabilities which reduces their use of costly emergency services
- Help and integrate homeless youth who have timed out of foster care and lack family networks into the community
- Reduce the chances for people suffering from mental illness to be incarcerated or enter mental institutions
- Lower the usage of substances and mental health symptoms
Counter-Arguments
- Supportive housing alone can’t end homelessness altogether. We need public policy debates to address the underlying core problems whether it’s lack of affordable wages and job security, or lack of education and health care that often lead to homelessness
- Building supportive housing is far from easy as supply and funding can create barriers. Encountering strict regulations and environmental impact statements can take a long period of time and developers are responsible for alleviating potential impacts from their projects