I was reading an interesting article today that asked the question: Can helping people with their rent stave off homelessness?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes and no. It all depends on whether there are other underlying issues. Without a doubt, there are people who end up at a homeless shelter because they just couldn't find affordable housing. So yes, providing these people with some sort of rent subsidy, or just ensuring there is an adequate supply of affordable housing, would go a long way in keeping these people out of a shelter.
At Shepherds of Good Hope, we care for 1600 men and women every day. The reason they are with us is a lot more complex than their inability to pay rent. That might be one of the issues, but many come to us with mental or physical health challenges. Others suffer from serious addictions. Others have been homeless for so many years that they're not sure how to get back into their own housing even if they had the financial means to do so.
What we do know is if you can provide housing for someone, you have made the first step to addressing their other needs. Stable housing leads to stability for the person. That's what our supportive living and housing first facilities have shown over the years. And for people who might not be ready to live more independently, we have programs at the shelter to help them get to that stage.
So, no, simply providing rent subsidies does not end homelessness for everyone who is living in the shelter.
When I meet with donors or take people on tours, they're always surprised at how complex the issue of homelessness is and how Shepherds of Good Hope has created innovated programs to deal with that complexity.
If you would like a tour, please contact me at 613-789-8210, ext. 247. If you would like to make a donation to help us continue caring for Ottawa's most vulnerable men and women, please visit our donate page.
Showing posts with label housing first. Show all posts
Showing posts with label housing first. Show all posts
Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Tuesday, 16 June 2015
Housing first and supportive living
I hope everyone caught Alison Sandor's piece on the 10th anniversary of St. Andrew's Residence.
It's a great story that illustrates why any housing first strategy has to have a supportive living component.
Housing First is a great slogan. It's easy to understand and to rally behind. But folks, the majority of people who are living on the streets or living in a shelter are homeless for a lot of complex reasons. Yes, there are some men and women who need the use of a shelter bed for a couple of days. They have a job but are in between paycheques or have no one to live with for a few days while they waited to take possession of their new apartment. These people are capable of independent living but have fallen on hard times. It's likely temporary but we're here for those people.
There is another significant group of men and women who are more than temporarily out of a home. They suffer from mental illness, they struggle with addictions, they don't have the basic life skills you and I take for granted. They need regular medical care and support.
Not only does Shepherds of Good Hope provide them with a bed, but when they're ready, we move them to supportive housing facilities like St. Andrew's. They get their own apartment. They can cook for themselves. They're part of the tenants association. Maybe they've joined the reading club or maybe they have a green thumb and can work some magic in the garden.
Staff from Shepherds of Good Hope are on site 24/7 if the resident need help. And often, they do. That's what's called supportive living.
Shepherds of Good Hope also has a Housing First complex. Brigid's Place is home to 11 women who came from street life. Many of them weren't in shelter system. But again, we do more than house them. The women have access to a multitude of support services and activities. And we allow them to stay there as long as needed. If one day, they want to try more independent living, we're there to give them that support.
As the discussion continues about Housing First strategies, I hope the debate will also include the support services many of these vulnerable men and women need.
It's a great story that illustrates why any housing first strategy has to have a supportive living component.
Housing First is a great slogan. It's easy to understand and to rally behind. But folks, the majority of people who are living on the streets or living in a shelter are homeless for a lot of complex reasons. Yes, there are some men and women who need the use of a shelter bed for a couple of days. They have a job but are in between paycheques or have no one to live with for a few days while they waited to take possession of their new apartment. These people are capable of independent living but have fallen on hard times. It's likely temporary but we're here for those people.
There is another significant group of men and women who are more than temporarily out of a home. They suffer from mental illness, they struggle with addictions, they don't have the basic life skills you and I take for granted. They need regular medical care and support.
Not only does Shepherds of Good Hope provide them with a bed, but when they're ready, we move them to supportive housing facilities like St. Andrew's. They get their own apartment. They can cook for themselves. They're part of the tenants association. Maybe they've joined the reading club or maybe they have a green thumb and can work some magic in the garden.
Staff from Shepherds of Good Hope are on site 24/7 if the resident need help. And often, they do. That's what's called supportive living.
Shepherds of Good Hope also has a Housing First complex. Brigid's Place is home to 11 women who came from street life. Many of them weren't in shelter system. But again, we do more than house them. The women have access to a multitude of support services and activities. And we allow them to stay there as long as needed. If one day, they want to try more independent living, we're there to give them that support.
As the discussion continues about Housing First strategies, I hope the debate will also include the support services many of these vulnerable men and women need.
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Solving homelessness
Wow. We posted a story on our Facebook site earlier this week and it has reached more than 1,100 people. It's clear the story is resonating with you. It's about how the city of Victoria is considering micro-housing as a way to reduce homelessness.
During the last year, there has been a lot of discussion about solving homelessness. The latest strategy that has caught people's attention is often referred to as housing first. The idea is you can eliminate homelessness by putting everyone who is homeless into their own home. Maybe it's a rooming house, maybe it's subsidized apartments, maybe it's micro-units.
Last year, during his campaign, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson pledged an extra $2 million to fight homelessness and increase affordable housing. He told the Ottawa Citizen he would like to reduce emergency shelter use by 15 per cent during the next five years.
I applaud those efforts and it's encouraging to see a renewed focus on reducing homelessness.
However, anyone who works with the homeless knows that simply providing a home isn't always enough. Without a doubt, having shelter is the first step to stability. That's why we have supportive living homes Brigid's Place, St. Andrew's Residence, Hope Living and The Oaks. It's why we do more than just run a shelter for men and women on King Edward St. All of these places do more than just provide a roof over someone's head. Depending on which site you visit, the residents are getting support for mental health issues, they're being seen by medical staff, they're being fed, they're being treated for addictions and more. And we're also giving them the skills that will hopefully allow them to live more independently one day.
I won't get into all of the details in this one blog post. But if you want to read more about our programs and services, you can visit our website.
During the last year, there has been a lot of discussion about solving homelessness. The latest strategy that has caught people's attention is often referred to as housing first. The idea is you can eliminate homelessness by putting everyone who is homeless into their own home. Maybe it's a rooming house, maybe it's subsidized apartments, maybe it's micro-units.
Last year, during his campaign, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson pledged an extra $2 million to fight homelessness and increase affordable housing. He told the Ottawa Citizen he would like to reduce emergency shelter use by 15 per cent during the next five years.
I applaud those efforts and it's encouraging to see a renewed focus on reducing homelessness.
However, anyone who works with the homeless knows that simply providing a home isn't always enough. Without a doubt, having shelter is the first step to stability. That's why we have supportive living homes Brigid's Place, St. Andrew's Residence, Hope Living and The Oaks. It's why we do more than just run a shelter for men and women on King Edward St. All of these places do more than just provide a roof over someone's head. Depending on which site you visit, the residents are getting support for mental health issues, they're being seen by medical staff, they're being fed, they're being treated for addictions and more. And we're also giving them the skills that will hopefully allow them to live more independently one day.
I won't get into all of the details in this one blog post. But if you want to read more about our programs and services, you can visit our website.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)