September 14, 2016
THANKS W!:
Lessons from Finland: helping homeless people starts with giving them homes : Sounds simple but Finland's housing first model shows it's always more cost-effective to try to end homelessness rather than manage it (Juha Kaakinen, 14 September 2016, The Guardian)
A recent report by the communities and local government committee on homelessness pointed out that the "housing first" model "appears to have had a positive impact in Finland". From 2008 to 2014 the number of people who were long-term homeless decreased by approximately 1,200, and homelessness continues to decrease. [...]The housing first model is quite simple: when people are homeless, you give them housing first - a stable home, rather than progressing them through several levels of temporary and transitional accommodation. The idea stems from the belief that people who are homeless need a home, and other issues that may cause them to be at risk of homelessness can be addressed once they are in stable housing. Homeless people aren't told they must conquer their addictions or secure a job before being given a home: instead it is accepted that having a home can make solving health and social problems much easier.
Posted by Orrin Judd at September 14, 2016 2:37 PM