Blog
“If we realised the true cost of homelessness, we’d fix it overnight”
September 23, 2020
I love reading The Conversation. It has brilliant articles from researchers, and as they say, with journalistic flare. If ever you want evidence-based well researched articles, it’s the place to go. Their aim is to bring academic rigour to reporting, rebuild trust in journalism and spark public conversation.
On 22 September 2020, The Conversation article “If we realised the true cost of homelessness, we’d fix it overnight” caught my attention. Here is the full article:
https://theconversation.com/if-we-realised-the-true-cost-of-homelessness-wed-fix-it-overnight-143998
“….. The costs are dispersed over so many government agencies and facilities that they are managed in a piecemeal way, as they always have been in Australia. The result is a hefty hit to the public purse.….. we did a global scoping review of research since 2009 that examined the value of providing a secure, stable home for formerly homeless people and the wider taxpaying community. In total, we examined 100 research papers and analysed outcomes across a range of domains including physical and mental health, emergency department use, substance use, well-being, community integration, mortality, criminal justice interaction, service use and cost-effectiveness. The overriding consensus among the 100 peer-reviewed studies and agency reports was that housing stability brought a raft of benefits to formerly homeless individuals. Reducing the cost of non-shelter services also saved the public money. Stable housing generally came through a Housing First model. The first priority is to find people a safe and permanent home, with no strings attached. Wraparound support services are provided, which are critical in helping them adjust to a new life in a stable and permanent home…..”
I’m not saying what we are doing right now is wrong – we have so many magnificently intentioned beautiful souls in Housing ACT and the community organisation sector helping. However, they are always fighting an up-hill battle with funding, and until we have one framework to handle the situation, things will either stay as it is or just keep getting worse.
Christine
Declaration: I donate to The Conversation