“You don’t sleep. You just wait for morning… You’re always alert… When it rains, everything gets soaked… After a while, you stop thinking about the future—you’re just trying to make it through the night.”(NAEH). Imagine that being your life, every single day, scrounging for food and fighting for a good night's rest, which you can never find. That is life for hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, every single night. 

There have been a lot of so-called “solutions” that are ineffective. Out of all of these “solutions,” however, there is one that really stands out. It is called “Housing First”. Housing First is especially effective because it doesn’t require you to be clean or have a job or be sober to receive housing; they simply give it to you. Like the testimony in the introduction said, when you’re on the streets, you aren’t thinking about the future, you’re not thinking about getting clean, being sober, or getting a job; all you want to do is make it through the night, and that in itself is a hard task when you have pretty much nothing. But by giving these people safety and comfort, they do not worry so much about making it through the night and can focus on what really matters. That is why chronic homelessness in America can be greatly reduced by utilizing systems such as “Housing First”, which have already proved to have succeeded. In my thesis, I address the problem with other programs and why they aren’t nearly as effective, and then the solution, Housing First, and why it works so well. 

Homelessness has become such a big issue in recent years, for so many reasons. Among these reasons, and probably the main one, is mental health and substance abuse. 67% suffer from mental health struggles, and 44% suffer from substance abuse. More than half of the people who are homeless go through these things. The reason why their addictions got so bad in the first place is neglect. When they are on the streets, they are overlooked and even looked at as disgusting when really they're just another human like you and me. They abuse substances because they feel as if that's the only way to escape the reality they live in. If they felt cared for, they would feel less of a need to abuse substances. Even focusing on only these people would reduce homelessness by 70% or more. Also, there are some homeless people who would rather be on the streets than be in a shelter because of living conditions. A lot of times, shelters are completely filled and overrun with dirt and filth because these shelters are usually understaffed for the number of people staying there. People preferring the street over a shelter show how disgusting these places can and do get. 

The biggest problem with these other “homeless solution” programs is their unrealistic expectations for the homeless individuals to have. They expect you to “be completely clean or sober,” or you must have a stable full-time job. They also may expect you to save a follow a saving plan and if not, you’ll be removed from the program. These unrealistic expectations are the problems with homelessness programs nowadays, and that is why they fail time and time again. 

Corruption also plays a big part in why these programs don’t work. On January 23rd, Alexander Soofer, who was the CEO of a homeless services charity, was arrested for allegedly using federal funds for his own personal use. He bought a $120,000 Range Rover, a $7,000,000 house, and a trip to Hawaii and Greece. That money could have and should have been used to feed hundreds of homeless in San Francisco, but he used it for his own selfish desires. This isn't the only account of something like this 

 

happening. There are countless stories just like this one. It would make a big difference if we cracked down on corruption and replacing these evil people with people who care. 

There is a better solution, though, and it’s called Housing First. With Housing First, they give you a place to stay with no strings and no curfews or expectations, but simply a place to live. They understand that it is nearly impossible to get back on your feet from anything without a home. After they give you housing, they will help you with job placement, or getting clean or sober, and everything you need help with. It’s so simple, which is why it works so well. In Utah, they reduced their chronic homelessness by 91% using Housing First strategies. They went from 40,000 in homelessness to 2,000. And in Finland, they pretty much wiped out chronic homelessness altogether. It has also been effective in New York City and Houston. If the government and the citizens are serious about reducing homelessness, we must go all in on Housing First. 

Although Housing First has been proven to be a highly successful approach, people who don't agree with it and believe it is ineffective. They believe that Housing First fails to address deeper, systemic issues. In addition, they may believe that all it does is take the problem “from the streets to a hotel”. However, this argument looks past the fact that stability is often the difference in the decisions addicts make. That is why stability is the first step in Housing First. Once they are stable, they are in a much better position to pursue treatment, build good routines, and address problems. 

Homelessness is not an unsolvable crisis, and it isn’t something we don’t have a solution for. Chronic homelessness in America can be reduced by recognizing what chronic homelessness is, recognizing systems that are failing and why, and utilizing systems such as “Housing First”, which have already proved to have succeeded.. This is simply a challenge that has shown signs of improvement when approached with intention and effort. If we really want to fix the issues our country has, EVERYONE has to take it seriously. This solution isn’t a quick fix to homelessness for a few years; it is to completely eradicate homelessness altogether. “The United States has the knowledge and the resources to end homelessness. What is needed is the will to use them.” (NAEH)