What is Supportive Housing?
Supportive Housing programs offer stable housing for people who may struggle with complex challenges to living independently. People who live in supportive housing live more productive and stable lives. Supportive housing helps improve housing stability, mental and physical health, employment, and reduces or stops substance use.
Benefits of Supportive Housing
Supportive housing can financially help a community, cutting down on high-cost crisis response systems and services, such as law enforcement interactions, emergency rooms, incarceration in prisons or jails, and emergency homeless shelters.
Supportive housing helps lead to strong, healthy communities by improving the safety of neighborhoods, improving city blocks with new or rehabilitated properties, and stabilizing property values.
Services Offered at Supportive Housing
Supportive housing programs offer a range of services aimed at helping improve the quality of life for its residents, such as mental health care, physical health care, substance use therapy, vocational training, employment support, and child welfare education.​
Myths About Supportive Housing
There are many myths surrounding supportive housing programs. But supportive housing helps people with chronic homelessness and disabilities to build more stability and independence.
Let's learn the truth and dispel the myths surrounding Supportive Housing.
Myth 1: “Supportive housing increases crime.”
Fact: Many studies, including a study by Galster et al., (2002), have shown no rise in neighborhood crime around supportive housing. The presence of professional staff, stable housing, and clear rules often reduce crime and disorder.
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Myth 2: “Residents don’t want help.”
Fact: When stable housing is offered to residents, participation in services increases. Support is voluntary, respectful, and specially tailored to each resident's needs.
Myth 3: “Supportive housing costs too much!”
Fact: Supportive housing saves the community money by reducing
homelessness, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, shelter visits, and use of emergency services.
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Myth 4: “Property values around the housing will drop.”
Fact: Research by The National Association of Realtors (2002) has shown no negative effect on surrounding property values. Developments that are well-managed and supported by the community can improve neighborhood property values by improving appearance and stability.
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Myth 5: “Residents in that type of housing are dangerous.”
Fact: Supportive housing serves people with health challenges or disabilities, not individuals who pose threats. Residents work with case managers and follow their leases.
Myth 6: “It’s just another homeless shelter.”
Fact: Supportive housing is permanent, with private units for individuals.
Shelters are short-term crisis responses while supportive housing offers long-term stability.
Myth 7: “The buildings will be run down and poorly managed.”
Fact: Operators of supportive housing follow strict standards and requirements for funding. Strong management is built into the model of housing.
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To read more about the research conducted on this topic, please click here to view information from San Mateo BHRS.