Homelessness is a big issue that all societies face.

The United States currently

has over half a million people who are homeless and over 80,000 of those people are
considered chronically homeless. This brings up the issue of how do we solve this
problem? There have been many different programs and solutions that have been tried
to help the homeless. Traditional programs will provide aid to the homeless by having
them meet certain requirements and some programs even include a rehabilitation and
job employment program. Here in Salt Lake City, we have attempted our own model
called the Housing First model where housing was provided to homeless individuals
without having them meet any requirements beforehand. This model proved to be one
of the most effective ways of reducing homelessness and was put in the national
spotlight that many other cities looked at.
The Housing first model did prove to be a viable solution for the homeless. In
Utah, homelessness was reduced by a staggering 91%. However, an audit in 2017
raised the question of just how effective the program actually was and was the reduction
because of the program or other factors. The premise of Housing First is to provide a
home to anybody and that they did not have to meet any requirements such as sobriety
and drug tests. Although on paper, Housing First has reduced homelessness, It has
shown that the impact is not very long term. In Utah’s 2018 homelessness report, there
were double the number of homeless than there were in 2016. Providing a home for
homeless people will definitely get them off the street but it does not change their live
for the better, meaning that they still have no means of providing for themselves and it
does not assist them from staying away from substances if they have a substance
abuse problem. People are less likely to regress back to substance abuse or other
factors that lead to homelessness if they have a stable job along with somewhere to
stay. Just providing them a place to stay does not guarantee that their lives will improve.
We should be wary of the housing first approach and instead, stick with programs that
are proven to be effective and can keep the rate of homelessness down in the long run.
At first, the housing first program was seen as one of the simplest and most cost
effective ways to reduce homelessness. However, after an audit by the Office of the
Legislative Auditor General in 2017, auditors were not sure where the $100,000,000
spent on homeless assistance went towards and weren’t entirely sure if the program
was actually effective due to poor documentation and information management
systems. This brings into question just how effective the program was. Before any other
cities decide to jump on with the Housing First model, they should be aware of this
situation and instead continue with their current models for helping the homeless.
The current programs that are in place, such as job rehabilitation programs and
federal assistance programs have a proven track record of effectively reducing
homelessness and improving the lives of those that are homeless. A study was done
that evaluated the effectiveness of a job skills rehab program called the Moving Ahead
Program. In the study it was found that after 6 months of the intensive job skills
program, participants that were considered homeless went down from 81.5% to 30.9%.
Along with the reduction of homelessness, it was also found that there were other
positive changes in areas like mental health and substance abuse. 80% of participants
reported that they did not abuse substances within the past 6 months and it is a good
indicator that social support and a path to employment are effective in helping homeless
people stay away from abusing substances. A majority of participants that did seek
mental health treatment were also more likely to report improved mental health.
Participants in the Moving Ahead Program also had fewer involvements with law
enforcement. 96.9% or participants reported not being arrested in the months following
the completion of the program.
 Works Cited

“2016's Shocking Homelessness Statistics.” Social Solutions, 9 Jan. 2017,

www.socialsolutions.com/blog/2016-homelessness-statistics/.

Scruggs, Gregory. “Once a National Model, Utah Struggles with Homelessness.” Reuters,
Thomson Reuters, 10 Jan. 2019, www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-homelessness-housing/once-
a-national-model-utah-struggles-with-homelessness-idUSKCN1P41EQ.

Carter, Sheryl. “Federal Homeless Assistance Programs : Elements and Considerations.”

Ebsco, 2015,
eds.b.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzk2Nzk0OF9
fQU41?sid=ebdedfa4-f965-4a22-b331-
85213731858a@sessionmgr102&vid=8&format=EB&lpid=lp_3&rid=0.

Gray, Heather M, et al. “How Do Homeless Adults Change Their Lives after Completing an
Intensive Job-Skills Program? A Prospective Study.” Ebsco, Sept. 2017,
eds.b.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/eds/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=ebdedfa4-f965-
4a22-b331-
85213731858a@sessionmgr102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU=#anchor=AN01248466
95-36&AN=124846695&db=pbh.