Why Should We Support Supportive Housing?
Supportive housing is vital to the community because it provides effective and cost-efficient responses to housing instability and its related social and health challenges. Studies have shown that supportive housing reduces homelessness, improves physical
and mental health outcomes for the participants, and decreases costly visits to the emergency room, hospital, shelter, and jails.
​​
​
When paired with case management, counseling, and vocational support, the residents can build their independence and long-term well-being. This type of housing helps the community by enhancing public
safety, reducing visible homelessness, and fostering economic stability. Supportive housing is an investment in healthier people and communities, more resilient
neighborhoods, and a more equitable society.
Benefits
The benefits of supportive housing are well documented. It combines stable and affordable housing with on-site, or closely linked, services. Supportive housing helps improve physical health by providing a safe environment, reducing exposure to stress, violence, and environmental hazards, and increasing access to regular medical care. Mental and behavioral health is improved by reducing crises, promoting stability, and connecting residents with counseling, case management, and substance use therapies.
Supportive housing helps decrease hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and mental institution stays, which can lead to better long-term outcomes and lower healthcare costs. It creates conditions that people need to maintain healthier, more stable, and more independent lives.
Things We Avoid
Avoiding homelessness is beneficial for both the individual and the public. Homelessness leads to significant health risks, including higher rates of chronic illness, severe untreated mental health conditions, challenges with substance use, violence exposure, and even premature death. Lack of housing creates challenges to finding and maintaining employment, accessing healthcare, storing medications safely, and meeting basic needs like nutrition and hygiene.
In addition, it can take a deep emotional and psychological toll which increases trauma, stress, and social isolation. By avoiding homelessness in members of the community, these negative outcomes can be avoided.
Better Quality of Life
Avoiding homelessness helps dramatically improve the quality of life for individuals. Stable housing provides a foundation for safety, health, and opens up various opportunities. With stable housing, people can maintain their daily routines, have access to consistent healthcare, properly store medications and food, and meet their basic needs with dignity. Once in stable housing,
individuals have a reduction in stress and trauma, which supports better mental and emotional well-being. Housing also helps make it easier to secure and maintain employment, continue with school or studies, and build important supportive social connections.
In general, a home helps create the stability that is necessary for long-term planning, personal growth, and helps open the door to healthier, more fulfilling, and secure lives.
Supportive housing benefits both residents and the community by providing individuals with stable homes and essential services, improving health and self-sufficiency, reducing homelessness, and strengthens neighborhood stability and safety.
The Price of Homelessness
Homelessness places a substantial strain on public systems with an increased use of emergency rooms, crisis centers, homeless shelters, and the use of law enforcement. These services often come at a higher cost than a stable housing solution. Homeless creates a cycle of instability that is difficult to break without targeted and sustained support.