The Cost of Homelessness

"Homelessness is a multi layered issue." 

This is a sentiment that has been echoed more than a few times in this blog. What we see on the surface, the people, is merely one representation of what it means to be homeless. Lately, I have been focusing a great deal on the various ramifications of homelessness to the individual who is caught up in this cycle. There are health and safety concerns as well and issues of mental well being and emotional aspects that can be debilitating. The physical problems presented can be overwhelming and crippling on their own.

I have also brought up some social qualifiers that point out homelessness is not just an individual problem and that society bears some responsibility for creating certain conditions that perpetuate poverty and homelessness. It is true that poor decisions can lead to poverty and homelessness, but more often than not, a person ends up homeless as a result of conditions beyond their control. So, if this is a communal problem, then what is the actual cost to a community when homelessness is not addressed adequately? If we peel back the layers of the onion, what will we find? After doing some research, I found a few interesting tidbits conveying the economic cost of homelessness on society.

A recent study conducted by the Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness reported that 150,000 chronically homeless people in the US costs nearly $11 billion per year in public funds. If these individuals could be permanently housed, the expense would drop to $7.8 billion. The New York Coalition for the Homeless estimates that the cost of permanently housing a person can be as little as $12,500 a year. Currently, there are only a few permanent residency projects across the US. Samaritan House is doing its part in the community by offering affordable permanent housing. Besides offering a competent Veteran's program and emergency temporary shelter, we are doing what we can to alleviate the financial burden of homelessness in Kalispell.

So much of what we do is hidden from the public eye. Sometimes we have a fundraiser or participate in a coordinated effort to accomplish something with other social services providers. Our case managers and administrative staff work tirelessly to coordinate and facilitate our residents so they can receive lost benefits or find what is missing to help them reintegrate into society. Our shelter workers provide continuous care and perform the day to day duties that no one ever sees but everyone always needs. It is a team effort and everyone plays a part and operates within a certain role.

But our goal is to do more than just assist the people who come to us for help. We want them to be able to turn their lives around and break the cycle of poverty and homelessness, but our main objective is to see them housed in some capacity. To end homelessness requires a solution that involves providing housing. People often ask what we, at Samaritan House, do. The answer usually depends on the day and even the hour, at times! 

But, one thing remains paramount to our role in the community. We try to cut the cost of money spent on services that could be helped by providing affordable housing. This is just one of the ways we are trying to do our part.