Helping someone into a home FIRST, can offer stability and security to help them into a new life SECOND.
Housing First is an approach that kind of flip flops the logical way of thinking. Many of us think that in order to obtain a home, one should 1) be sober, 2) have a steady paying job, and 3) be in a stable state of mental health. However, in order to serve the homeless who suffer from the lack of one or multiple things listed above, caregivers need to have a place to find these people and offer a sense of stability.
In 2003, the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) rolled out the Blueprint to End Homelessness, a ten year strategy to “ increase supportive housing, expand prevention services, and move the focus from emergency responses to lasting solutions.” This strategy takes the right steps in focusing on getting the homeless housed FIRST and then providing the services as a complement.
From the CHIP website -
“[Housing First] promotes the idea, supported by leading researchers, that housing is essential for people experiencing homelessness to attain stability and should not be used as a reward for achieving stability.”
Indianapolis has been meeting the Blueprint’s goals in terms of affordable housing; however, in terms of supportive housing, we are lacking. Supportive housing, according to the Blueprint, includes “case management and a variety of temporary or ongoing social and other services to ensure that people residing in those units live as independently as possible and can sustain their housing.”
HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program (HIP) works closely with homeless persons to find affordable housing. Our program also offers case management, employment classes and workshops, and health care. SUPPORTIVE HOUSING is possible. And with your help, it can have a greater impact on our community.
- Spread the word about homelessness prevention.
- Donate here because $25 can provide a homeless citizen bus fare to get to and from work until they receive their first paycheck.
[...] an earlier post, I touched on the importance of the ‘housing first’ approach. Getting someone housed [...]
[...] is that we need to raise more awareness about the importance of having support services ALONG with affordable housing. Being homeless is more than just being without a home, people who are homeless for extended [...]