Opinion: Ending homelessness begins with housing first

Editor's note: Demetress Adams-Ludd is a resident of Sumter and social work graduate student with the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work online.

"Unfortunate," "sad," "pitiful," these are a few words used to describe homeless men and women in America. Just like many of you, I have donated and volunteered, hoping my small efforts will be a push toward ending homelessness. Yet, there are still about 500,000 people experiencing homelessness in our country. According to the S.C. Interagency 2017 Point in Time report, there were 3,916 homeless individuals across the state of South Carolina in sheltered and unsheltered housing. These alarming numbers are disheartening because America is a developed country with endless resources. Most striking, homelessness has a simple solution: stable housing.

Researchers have been diligent in finding effective, evidence-based solutions to end homelessness. Yet there seems to be constant reminders that a "one size fits all" approach is not the answer to resolving homelessness. In 2004, S.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness developed, presented and disbursed a state plan to better target resources needed for the S.C. homeless population. In Sumter, community organizations such as Sumter United Ministries and YWCA are staple providers addressing daily needs of Sumter's homeless with safe and stable shelter, warm food, health screening and job/education opportunities. Although wonderful organizations, both are not designed to be permanent housing. In fact, emergency and transitional housing are not permanent housing and should be considered a second option to immediately placing a displaced family or individual into their own home. Everyone deserves autonomy, and homelessness should be no different! Imagine a country where a family or individual who experiences losing their home for whatever reason is able to walk in a community provider and be served with permanent housing as top priority. There are no prerequisites such as drug testing, prior felonies,or past evictions as holdbacks. The only qualification is a need for a safe, stable home. Housing First has been highly effective in securing stable housing immediately for displaced families. Housing First is an innovative, evidence-based housing model that prioritizes placing people in stable housing before addressing other issues such as addiction, mental illness or unemployment. Charleston, South Carolina, successfully provided permanent housing to "Tent City" inhabitants on an Interstate 26 overpass by adopting Housing First.

Similar success was found in Greenville and Myrtle Beach too. Critics of Housing First argue this approach is too expensive. However, Housing First is cost efficient for communities because housed people are less likely to use emergency services, including jails, hospitals and emergency shelter, than homeless people.

So, is Sumter County making progress toward ending homelessness by making housing first? Sumter's investment into emergency and transitional shelters has been pivotal in creating stable, temporary housing. On the other hand, ending homelessness requires more than a short-term commitment for stable housing. Adapting evidence-based interventions like rapid rehousing, Housing Choice vouchers and permanent support housing using Housing First connects short-term solutions to concrete ones. Most notably, it moves Sumter toward making progress to end homelessness by establishing housing as a first priority rather than treading water with temporary situations.

DEMETRESS ADAMS-LUDD
Sumter