It Saves Millions To Simply Give Homeless People A Place To Live

[MindMover]

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It is cheaper to give homeless people a home than it is to leave them on the streets.

That’s not just the opinion of advocates working to end homelessness, nor is it the opinion of homeless people themselves. It is a fact that has been borne out by studies across the country, from Florida to Colorado and beyond.

The latest analysis to back up this fact comes out of Charlotte, where researchers from the University of North Carolina Charlotte examined a recently constructed apartment complex that was oriented towards homeless people.

Moore Place opened in 2012 with 85 units. Each resident is required to contribute 30 percent of his or her income, which includes any benefits like disability, veterans, or Social Security, toward rent. The rest of the housing costs, which total approximately $14,000 per person annually, are covered by a mix of local and federal government grants, as well as private donors.

In the first year alone, researchers found that Moore Place saved taxpayers $1.8 million. These savings comes from improvements in two primary areas: health care and incarceration.


http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/03/24/3418140/charlotte-homeless-study/

[handmade34]

1. also... "Viva la revolution!"

http://www.policymic.com/articles/81507/the-most-unlikely-state-in-america-is-on-track-to-eradicate-homelessness-by-2015

"...According to Housing Works, the state agency responsible for the plan, the "ten-year action plan" is a deeply progressive, multi-tier aid scheme that is being employed to provide varying levels of assistance, according to varying levels of need (why does that sound familiar?). As reported by their website:

In 2005, Utah calculated the annual cost of E.R. visits and jail stays for an average homeless person was $16,670, while the cost of providing an apartment and social worker would be $11,000. Each participant works with a caseworker to become self-sufficient, but if they fail, they still get to keep their apartment.

Under the cover of sound financial planning, a deeply progressive solution to homelessness came to Utah. Even if their bootstraps prove too loose for pulling, they still get to keep their apartment. It turns out that when you crunch the numbers, you end up with policy proposals that liberals have been advocating for years. Shockingly, this hasn't led to a spat of otherwise well-disciplined Utahans abandoning their jobs or rent payments because "the state will just give them a handout." In fact, having somewhere to eat, sleep and bathe has even helped many of the once chronically homeless find jobs and eventually move into (nicer) private apartments.

The plan has worked so well that now famously liberal Wyoming is considering a massive apartment handout of its own. Viva la revolution!..."

[MindMover]

2. I am not holding my breath for the power people to stop hitting the stupid button ...

but I have to say, some of these developments look promising ...