How the war on homelessness can be won in Hamilton

“Homelessness is a solvable problem.”

Those are the words of Amanda DiFalco, Hamilton’s manager of homelessness policy and programs. They’re not particularly profound, but they’re important and they’re accurate. We can solve this city’s homelessness problem.

DiFalco was among the presenters at this week’s National Conference on Ending Homelessness, which saw 1,300 front-line workers, policy-makers, civil servants and, importantly, people with lived experience come here to discuss shared challenges and solutions.

Many react with skepticism when they hear problems like homelessness, and poverty, are solvable. The disbelief is understandable, given we’ve had these challenges forever and, to date, only limited progress has been made.

But solving homelessness isn’t about ensuring it never happens again. There will always be social issues that lead to people becoming homeless. Addictions, mental health, domestic abuse and violence, job loss, injury ... these and other causal factors aren’t going away.

What we can do is change the trajectory for people who fall prey to these and other factors that drive homelessness. Why is it important to intervene early and aggressively when people are homeless?

Finnish housing expert Juha Kaakinen was another presenter at the conference. He described how you won’t find people sleeping on the streets of Helsinki. That’s because, in the short span between 2008 and 2018, Finland has nearly defeated homelessness. It did that by adopting an approach that aims to move people into stable dwellings quickly after they become homeless, at the same time providing long-term support.

As described by Spectator reporter Teviah Moro, that strategy involved conversion of emergency shelters and hostels into a range of social and assistedliving dwellings. Governments provide incentives and financial assistance, as do non-governmental organizations. Again, the key words and themes: safe, secure housing and support programs.

Why would Finnish governments invest in this, especially back in 2008 when the world was mired in a historic recession? It would be nice to think at least part of the rationale was altruistic, as in all governments should invest in allowing citizens a degree of human dignity. But beyond that, the governments also recognized there was tangible value in getting homeless people housed. A study cited by Kaakinen reported the savings associated with providing supportive housing for one person over one year add up to 15,000 euros ($22,437). The savings are possible because housing someone in a secure environment is exponentially cheaper than paying for more acute interventions — health care, policing, legal and incarceration costs, for example. A similar study done in Calgary found similar outcomes.

Evidence tells us it is cheaper to house vulnerable people than leave them to the streets or the shelter system. Evidence shows that helping them get healthier and happier means they will lead more productive lives, in many cases making a positive contribution instead of requiring ongoing support.

In Canada, and in Hamilton, this approach is called Housing First. We’re not as far along as Finland, but we’re on the right road. The federal government, and progressive communities such as this one, are seeing the altruistic and pragmatic benefits and potential. Provincial governments should also be at the table, but that probably isn’t in the cards with Doug Ford at Queen’s Park. Fortunately, sufficient momentum exists without the province. This problem is indeed solvable, and Hamilton could well be a test case, provided the requisite will from City Hall and Ottawa continues.