ISLAND VOICES
Here's how to solve homeless problem

By Lynn Maunakea
Executive director of the Institute for Human Services

Homelessness has become so widespread since the '80s that it is tempting to jump to a solution. A best-practice solution that has been successfully tried on the Mainland is called "Housing First."

The Housing First model contends that people have a right to housing and that people do not have to be "housing ready" to live in housing. The Housing First model has demonstrated that once in a home, there may be renewed hope and motivation to change behavior.

Actually, we have no choice. We all see the growing problem of widespread homelessness. We have no space to take new people in. Rather than creating additional shelter space, a Band-Aid for the homeless problem, let's invest in the Housing First solution.

There are two components to Housing First. One is, of course, permanent housing, and the second is the expanded case management to assist the individual to live in the housing. Let's tackle the real problem and create permanent supportive housing.

The majority of people who become homeless are being helped out of the situation fairly easily. There is a small group of homeless, many of whom are involved in heavy drug use, who don't want any help. But there is yet another group of individuals who are chronically homeless; they have been living in the streets, parks and shelters for long periods of time. The Culhane study reports that, although this group of homeless only makes up 10 percent of the homeless population, it uses 50 percent of the homeless resources.

Many are beginning to recognize that, by focusing on this relatively small group, we can make a huge impact in solving (not merely Band-Aiding) the homeless problem. It has been demonstrated that the chronically homeless can be placed from the streets and shelters and will live successfully in housing that is enriched with the services they need. Getting these people placed will break the existing gridlock and will make room for other individuals living on the streets, until they too can be placed.

A number of recent federal initiatives have been offered to states incorporating permanent supportive housing, and HUD informs us that this preference will continue. Hawai'i will once again lose out on federal funds if we do not "get with the program" — the permanent supportive housing program.