{"id":22038,"date":"2023-09-22T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T13:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=22038"},"modified":"2023-09-11T15:23:08","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T19:23:08","slug":"why-permanent-supportive-housing-is-the-answer-to-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/why-permanent-supportive-housing-is-the-answer-to-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Permanent Supportive Housing Is the Answer to Homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Permanent Supportive Housing Benefits\u00a0Taxpayers, Homeless People, and Housed Communities Alike<\/h2>\n

Santa Monica’s stunning south-side shoreline attracts people from all walks of life. It’s easy to get swept up in the scenery there. The soft rolling waves and swank bohemian storefronts along the Venice Beach boardwalk and pier draw approximately 16 million tourists annually.<\/span><\/p>\n

But for some locals, life along the legendary coastline is certainly no vacation.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’ve been homeless most of my life, so I grew up on the street,” explained Chad, a Venice Beach man who cordially agreed to be interviewed by\u00a0<\/span>Invisible People<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chad, who became\u00a0<\/span>homeless<\/span><\/a>\u00a0at the tender age of 9 and endured horrific abuse, is symbolic of a familiar but often hidden saga stretching from coast to coast and all across the country \u2013 the saga of homelessness. Perhaps the most tragic part of Chad’s story is the fact that it is typical.<\/span><\/p>\n

The LA Alliance for Human Rights<\/span><\/a>\u00a0reports that approximately 1 out of every 40 Venice Beach residents is homeless, a number that is increasingly garnering public concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

While stories like Chad’s momentarily touch our hearts, we often brush them off as hopeless. Sure, it would be nice if everyone had a home sometime in the future, but something tells us the goal is lofty, bordering on unrealistic.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Since most of us have never envisioned a world where homelessness didn’t exist, we also haven’t considered the countless positive communal effects solving homelessness might have.<\/span><\/p>\n

A world without homelessness would mean more communal funding. It would mean better school systems and lower healthcare prices. It would alleviate many of the problems creating the current atmosphere of extreme rent burden and making homeownership nearly impossible.<\/span><\/p>\n

A world without homelessness would significantly improve social welfare and public health. But these things are rarely considered because we can’t imagine eliminating homelessness or even seriously reducing the crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Homelessness, we are told, is a complicated problem too difficult to solve. The good news is that statement is false.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are proven strategies in place that are known to reduce homelessness. Communities have achieved a\u00a0<\/span>functional zero level of homelessness<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with strategies that could be implemented across the board. If supported by the public, these solutions could save countless lives, not to mention taxpayer dollars, creating a win-win scenario for practically everyone involved except a handful of corporate real estate investors and shifty politicians.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most successful of these strategies is providing permanent supportive housing.\u00a0<\/span>Here’s why providing permanent supportive housing is an exceptional solution for homeless people, taxpayers, and housed communities alike\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n

Permanent Supportive Housing Reduces Economic Strain without Any Negative Social Impact<\/span><\/h3>\n

A 2020 analysis released by\u00a0<\/span>Lancet Public Health<\/span><\/a>\u00a0reviewed 15 studies across 41 publications that dealt with permanent supportive housing and an additional ten studies across 15 publications where the topic was income intervention. The goal of reviewing this research was to determine the long-term efficacy of strategies like Housing First, which prioritize providing permanent supportive housing options.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to that systematic review, permanent supportive housing is proven to produce all of the following positive outcomes without having any notable negative social impact:<\/span><\/p>\n