Housing First is good investment for government
But provincial, city officials don’t want to fund program
This week, the first set of results was unveiled from Regina’s Housing First pilot project. And it’s worth highlighting the accomplishments of a program that looks to be a thorough success based on its first year of operation — but also asking why there seems to be a total lack of political will to build on what’s already been achieved.
By way of background, the Housing First project was set up to operate with an extremely limited scope. A mere $400,000 in funding was diverted from other homelessness initiatives. That amount was estimated to be enough to support between 10 and 20 individuals in a city where hundreds of people are homeless at any given time — and where thousands face insecure housing.
The Housing First program was able to assist 26 people in its first year, providing them with housing on an unconditional basis along with co-ordinated assistance from community organizations.
As expected, the combination of a secure place to live and a consistent set of supports had a dramatic effect on the lives of the people assisted. Program participants were able to speak to a substantial improvement in personal outcomes — including stronger connections to community and culture, and new-found success in addressing addictions.
Even for those inclined to look at social programs solely in terms of dollars and cents rather than compassion and caring for vulnerable people, Housing First provided a stunning
Municipal and provincial officials were happy to show up to celebrate what Housing First has accomplished.
return on investment. Between savings in policing, health care and detoxification costs, it paid for itself nearly five times over, producing estimated cost savings of over $1.9 million.
The good news is that a concerted effort to provide housing and other related supports to the people who need them most has paid off far beyond the sticker price. But the bad news is that there’s little indication that the success to date is going to lead to any further.
As it is, Regina’s initiative took far too long to come together after other cities had already benefited from similar approaches. And the levels of government that should be doing the most to look out for people within our community are instead continuing to drag their heels.
Municipal and provincial officials were happy to show up to celebrate what Housing First has accomplished. But they still haven’t directly contributed a nickel to the effort — even though their bottom lines benefit directly from the cost savings. And they’ve done nothing but demur when asked about any interest in future participation — while their focus in recent budgets and activities couldn’t be further from the mark when it comes to providing for people in need.
The federal government has offered some funding to allow for the continuation and expansion of Housing First. But that contribution is also uncertain beyond the next fiscal year. In other words, a program that has demonstrated its value is itself being forced to operate on a tightrope.
There has never been a good excuse for people remaining homeless in a city that could plainly afford to make housing available. But we now have concrete evidence in support of a program that can ensure secure housing for all — with the results including cost savings for the public purse in addition to better personal outcomes for the people assisted.
There’s no reason not to make the investment needed to realize the full potential of a Housing First program. And it will speak volumes if our municipal and provincial governments stick to their reluctance to help in eradicating homelessness in Regina.