NOT CARING COSTS MONEY

News item: $500,000 bond set for the suspect in the death of a 70year-old homeless man.

News item: A 58-year-old formerly homeless woman sleeps soundly in a subsidized studio apartment that she says “is like a castle.”

Violent death. A chance at a new life. These are two aspects of homelessness.

It is about other things, too. The sudden loss of a job. Substance abuse. Mental illness. Domestic violence. A history of incarceration.

It’s about people who lack family “to get them to tomorrow,”says Mark Holleran, chief executive officer of Arizona Housing Inc. and Central Arizona Shelter Services, or CASS.

He says the multidimensional problem of homelessness is the community’s business: If the community does not pay attention to this problem now, it will pay more later. Law enforcement, trials, prison cells and emergency rooms are expensive.

Even if you don’t care about the altruistic reasons for addressing housing, hunger, health, substance abuse and other needs of the homeless, you ought to care about the pragmatic one. Leaving the homeless to fend for themselves is more costly than providing help.

And providing help is a multidimensional challenge.

Holleran says CASS serves about 6,000 men, women and children annually.

About 15 percent are classified as chronically homeless. They, like the 58-year-old woman who now sleeps soundly in her own place, may be eligible for subsidized housing with supportive services to get them off the street.

Federal funding has provided 500 new units in the past 24 months through Arizona Housing Inc.

But federal funding is shrinking. Maricopa County, cities and towns also provide funding. Most of the money from the state is simply federal pass-through dollars.

Community donations matter more than ever. So do business donations. “We have to raise money from multiple sources,” Holleran says. For multiple needs. The yawning lack of affordable housing remains a problem despite decades of discussions. But this isn’t just about the housing. An addict with an apartment still needs substance-abuse treatment, not to mention job training, medical care and a variety of other patches.

Elderly people, veterans, single mothers with kids, terminally ill people, ex-cons. People who were a paycheck away from disaster when they lost jobs. People whose untreated mental illness won’t let them hold jobs. They fill emergency shelters.

And more. As many as 250 people a night have slept in a parking lot CASS made available. A parking-lot camp is an inelegant solution, but it provides a relatively safe place to sleep. It keeps people contained at night and cuts down on crime in neighborhoods.

These are people with big problems who may not be ready to accept help. The idea is to be there with services when they are ready, Holleran says.

Again, there are altruistic reasons to keep reaching out that helping hand. It’s the right thing to do.

Again, there are pragmatic reasons. The payoff to the community comes in the form of property not damaged, emergency-room visits not made, law-enforcement and justice resources not spent.

Homelessness is about life and death and all the possible pitfalls in between.

It is about taking care of those who need help getting to tomorrow.

Social-service agencies are doing all they can, but they’re stretched. Businesses and the community have good reasons to help.