From Crisis Emerges Opportunity for Change

This week I am live blogging from the National Conference on Ending Family Homelessness in San Diego, a meeting of over 500 individuals dedicated to combatting family homelessness.

While a multi-billion dollar stimulus package on the brink of approval, homelessness experts remain cautiously optimistic that a hefty chunk of change will be directed towards homelessness prevention (to the tune of $1.5 billion). Indeed, advocates believe that these funds could be the silver lining in the recession-induced increase in homelessness that has bee straining our system. This massive injection of federal funding could be the impetus our system has needed for a decisive paradigm shift away from shelter towards homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing. Indeed, the transformative powers of these stimulus funds have been a hot topic here at the conference. 

All this talk of reforming our homeless services makes perfect sense. Our social service safety net is absolutely critical, but in many cases, it is barely efficient. For years, programs have been haphazardly added here in there in response to the crisis of the moment, like patchwork. Now, we are about to be handed an opportunity to try something new. An approach that has been tested, measured, and proven successful. An approach that can decisively end family homelessness.

According to Dennis Culhane, from the University of PA and a presenter at today's conference, we should take a hard look at other countries who have successfully tackled family homelessness as we decide how to best allocate these funds.

I realize it can be tough to imagine. Here in the United States, we accept homelessness as inevitable. But this simply isn't the case in other parts of the world.

Several years ago, England decided to eradicate family homelessness as they knew it. Now that we're hoping to do the same thing (and anticipate some healthy funding to kick off that effort), here's what we have to learn from the Brits about transforming our bloody system.

• Ending homelessness must be a holistic process. Everyone has to be involved - schools, mental health organizations, shelters, health agencies, etc.
   
• We must adopt a new mindset: Nobody has to be homeless. It is not inevitable for anyone. Period.
   
• Resources must be flexible and tailored to the client's needs. A one-size-fits-all is inefficient and will not work.
   
• Timing is crucial. Get to people to deliver services as early and as quickly as possible.

When England overhauled their system's approach to homelessness and implemented this holistic approach, the country experienced a 50 percent decline in homelessness in just three years. Of course, it's important to note that England also has universal health care and a universal housing benefit, which certainly removes some of the major risk factors for homelessness.

Even still, it's important to note how other countries have successfully tackled this issue on a large scale. If there's a resounding theme throughout day one of this conference (and the last eight several years) it has been that it is time to embrace change. It's time to utilize the prevalence of political will to adopt a new approach to ending family homelessness. 

[Photo from PostStar.com: "Shawna Wolford hugs her six-year-old daughter in their motel room at the Budget Inn in Queensbury on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009. Wolford lost her job and then her apartment in August and has been struggling to make ends meet as a single mother since then. A certified nursing assistant, she has been surviving with Warren County Social Services assistance and hopping between motels as she tries to get back on her feet. She said she knew of four other families living at the motel also struggling to establish housing and jobs."]