Why Supportive Housing Ends Homelessness, Reduces Crime, and Changes Lives
Having the Right Information about the Homeless
The first thought that probably comes to opponents of housing the homeless, is that city officials are driving throughout the streets of downtown picking up what most would call “panhandlers” and then dropping them off at one of the selected facilities chosen by the city.
When a true picture of the homeless is presented, that 20% are veterans that fought for our right to have housing, that 47% are women and children that 1,850 are first time homeless due to economic recession…then that puts a different face on the homeless of our city.
If one studies the increasing demographics of what families are making today, even with two income wage-earners; it is revealed that many of our population are not making what is called “living wages”. In other words, many are making only minimum wage, and even with both parents working, they can’t make enough to live on, making them candidates for future homelessness. Add the increasing dropout rate among inner city schools, and the cycle of homelessness is bound to increase, unless a proactive solution is presented. This is exactly what the Mayor and City Council of Dallas did in their efforts to provide services to prepare the homeless for housing.
The truth is that housing costs in the Dallas area have been too high for parents and young families coming of age, and have never been able to move into the housing market. Thousands of middle income wage owners (police, firemen, school teachers) have been left out of the housing market due to the glut of affordable homes. Thus, they are left to rent. Right below these middle income wage owners, are low income wage owners, who cannot find a clean decent place to live to raise their families. It is here, that without a strategy in place, that we lose good families to homelessness. These families require vouchers or other subsidies to assist their housing stability.
Studies show that when homeless families are housed in transitional or affordable housing, this is sufficient to end homelessness- or prevent it- for most families. Subsidies assist greatly in this process, and resident services assure greater success.
Click here to read more about powerful research findings.
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