http://www.businessinsider.com/this-state-may-be-the-first-to-end-homelessness-for-good-2015-2
The entire state of Utah has fewer than 300 homeless people and will likely eliminate chronic homelessness by the end of the year, a housing expert told Mother Jones this week.
"We did it by giving homes to homeless people," Lloyd Pendleton, director of Utah’s Homeless Task Force, told "Daily Show" correspondent Hasan Minhaj in January.
Since 2005, the state has reduced the number of people living on the streets by almost 75% by giving them access to permanent housing, no strings attached, according to Utah's 2014 homelessness report.
The strategy, called Housing First, gives homeless people the stability that's lacking in temporary solutions like shelters and halfway houses. The tactic began as a test by New York University psychologist Sam Tsemberis in 1992.
"I thought, they're schizophrenic, alcoholic, traumatized, brain damaged," Tsemberis recalls to Mother Jones. "Why not just give them a place to live and offer them free counseling and therapy, healthcare, and let them decide if they want to participate?"
Tsemberis tested his theory on 242 chronically homeless people in New York City. Five years later, 88% were still living in their apartments at a lower cost to taxpayers and the state government. The idea caught on in other places like Seattle, Denver, and the state of Massachusetts. The experiment in Utah is likely the most successful Housing First program.
The entire state of Utah has fewer than 300 homeless people and will likely eliminate chronic homelessness by the end of the year, a housing expert told Mother Jones this week.
"We did it by giving homes to homeless people," Lloyd Pendleton, director of Utah’s Homeless Task Force, told "Daily Show" correspondent Hasan Minhaj in January.
Since 2005, the state has reduced the number of people living on the streets by almost 75% by giving them access to permanent housing, no strings attached, according to Utah's 2014 homelessness report.
The strategy, called Housing First, gives homeless people the stability that's lacking in temporary solutions like shelters and halfway houses. The tactic began as a test by New York University psychologist Sam Tsemberis in 1992.
"I thought, they're schizophrenic, alcoholic, traumatized, brain damaged," Tsemberis recalls to Mother Jones. "Why not just give them a place to live and offer them free counseling and therapy, healthcare, and let them decide if they want to participate?"
Tsemberis tested his theory on 242 chronically homeless people in New York City. Five years later, 88% were still living in their apartments at a lower cost to taxpayers and the state government. The idea caught on in other places like Seattle, Denver, and the state of Massachusetts. The experiment in Utah is likely the most successful Housing First program.
