How the Homeless Services Sector Fails the Short-Term Homeless

by Dominic Mapstone · 2010-08-23 11:07:00 UTC
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Homeless support services are being revealed as incompetent when it comes to housing the newly-houseless. People who don't have complex long-term needs and could bypass homelessness completely (if not for eviction, foreclosure or the lack of affordable housing) are being let down by a system designed decades ago.

In fact, the here today/gone tomorrow client who doesn't have complex needs like substance abuse or mental health issues, and can pretty much bypass homelessness with a bit of help through a financial upheaval, is my dream client.

However, these so called "dream clients" who could easily skip homelessness continue to swell the homeless ranks the world over — and get let down by a system that isn't designed for them.

The global financial crisis has created an influx of individuals and families who are accessing support services for homeless people that were not designed to help those who've simply been laid off.

The bulk of homeless support services are designed for people in the "too hard to house" basket with the thought that they need to tread water in the homeless support sector for some time due to their complex needs.

It's not uncommon for clients of our homeless service to have spent several years on the streets before they are ready to put their hand up and say "I'm ready." When they do, we are there.

But few services are set up in Australia, where I live and work, or the U.S. to assist those ready to bypass homelessness entirely. They're more than ready to put their hands up and get on with life in mainstream society. If only they could get the help they need.

The reason why services are failing these people so repeatedly (homeless shelters especially) is that the homeless sector just isn't agile. It's cumbersome and extremely slow to change and respond to emerging needs.

So is the dream client for the homeless sector someone who will be homeless for many years and continue to need their assistance? Have we built an industry around the complex problems/long-term homeless that is simply inept when it comes to dealing with low-maintenance, short-term clients?

This reality is a poor reflection on the homeless sector's ability to respond to the needs of those potentially ultra short-term clients, as well as the old fashioned ones.

Photo credit: A National Acrobat

Dominic Mapstone is the director of Rebeccas Community, an Australian non-profit, and admin at the International Homeless Forum.
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