For many homeless people, simply gaining access to affordable housing is not enough. Many have the greatest success remaining housed when they live in “supportive housing.” Supportive housing is the cornerstone for improving our fight against homelessness and reducing the wide range of social problems it causes. Supportive housing is permanent rental housing linked to comprehensive social, medical, educational, and employment services. By linking a decent affordable place to live with access to needed assistance, people who have been homeless for years have regained hope and become productive members of the community.

Studies from around the country have shown that affordable housing and support services—such as health care, housing, mental health, drug treatment, vocational, and employment, services—produce both dramatic improvements in people's lives and significant reductions in costly and inefficient use of hospitals and other public institutions. The following are examples of supportive housing success rates from various states and cities:

• 86.1% reduction in annual detoxification episodes
• 52.7% reduction in medical center alcohol admissions
• 58% decrease in emergency room visits
• 57% decrease in inpatient hospital days
• 40% increase in employment
• 50% increase in earned income

People who have already become homeless must be helped to find housing they can afford as soon as possible – that is, as soon as they are willing to be “good neighbors” by complying with the terms of a lease. This Housing First approach has been effective in combating homelessness in other communities.

Housing First embodies the belief that a safe, affordable home is necessary to help homeless people work toward recovery or employment. It is a departure from the widely used approach that emphasizes that homeless people must achieve sobriety or take other steps toward recovery before they are helped to find an affordable place to live.

The Blueprint to End Homelessness recommends a Housing Plus approach that encourages homeless people to accept the mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, or other support services they need to abide by the terms of their leases. Programs in other areas, such as New York City, have found that this approach effectively alleviates homelessness.

It has been repeatedly documented that supportive housing can help even our most long term and seemingly hopeless, homeless individuals to get off the streets and to begin rebuilding their lives as productive citizens.