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Monday, July 13th, 2015

The Best Way to End Homelessness

Author:     Alana Semuels
Source:     The Atlantic
Publication Date:     Jul 11, 2015
 Link: The Best Way to End Homelessness
Stephan:   This story describes a moral cancer that is eating away our society. I have been covering the Homeless Trend in SR for years now, as it has grown worse, and I'm sorry but there is something wrong with a country that behaves in this manner. Particularly now that we know that the path to wellness is to see people are housed. And we also know, based on real data, that it is much cheaper, easier, and less bureaucratic. Here is yet another confirmation of that. So the question is: Why aren't we doing this nationally? The fundamental way to end homelessness is to vote and elect officials who make decisions that are compassionate and life-affirming, based on data not ideology or theology.
A homeless family in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Credit: AP

A homeless family in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Credit: AP

America has the largest number of homeless women and children in the industrialized world. It’s a depressing statistic exacerbated by a housing crisis that forced thousands of families out onto the street. The stories of the 1.6 million children who experience homelessness every year (emphasis added)—like that of Dasani, an 11-year-old homeless child profiled by The New York Times last year—are reminiscent of tales from developing countries or disaster zones.

In 2010, the Obama administration announced a plan to end homelessness among children, youth, and families by 2020—but, predictably, there have been spats over funding and how to best use federal dollars.

Now a rigorous report, the first large-scale experiment ever conducted to test the effectiveness of homelessness interventions for families, might have some clues about how to create meaningful change. The Family Options Study is a three-year-long evaluation of three types of ways to help homeless families, conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development […]

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