A couple days ago, I was invited to speak for a seminar held at a Lutheran Church. When I arrived at the church, the first thing I saw was a person in a thick sleeping bag resting beside the church’s front door. The weather was bitter cold, with strong, freezing wind. On seeing this person, I experienced déjà vu. For thirteen months, in 2006-2007, I slept on a church side entrance every night (though in a warmer climate). Today, I am recovered from mental illness, and have my own apartment and a full life. I recognize that the system of mental healthcare in America provided me  a second chance at life.

In recent years, treatment of the American homeless has varied greatly by city, from poor to exceptional. Sadly, in 2013 in Columbia, South Carolina, homeless people were required to relocate or be arrested. The problem was that there were no other places for these homeless people to go. When they entered the local homeless shelter (which also served felons) they were not allowed to leave without permission from a police officer. See Columbia, South Carolina criminalizes homeless in unanimous vote:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/22/columbia-south-carolina-criminalizes-homelessness_n_3795397.html

Fortunately, this treatment of the homeless is not the reality everywhere. In 2005, Utah implemented a “Housing First” model to help their homeless, which is now being called a “model for the nation.” Housing First provides the needy with housing immediately, and afterward, counselors work to procure needed services, including mental health services. See:

https://mic.com/articles/108720/utah-s-radical-solution-to-fighting-homelessness-has-been-a-remarkable-success 

Housing First saves communities money. In North Carolina, $1.8 million less was spent on healthcare costs in a two-year study (article above). Dennis Culhane from the University of Pennsylvania found that a year on the street costs tax payers $40,451 (emergency healthcare, repeated incarceration for petty crimes, etc.) while an average year’s rent and case management is under $10,000. Consider this article:

https://www.rrstar.com/article/20150110/Opinion/150119943#ixzz3OiNwiwcQ. (1)

At left is a picture of my friend who also attended the Saturday seminar. Because she has found the services she needs, including a place to sleep, initially, I didn’t even know she was homeless. I hope that the poor person sleeping outside will accept the free, big meals given out often by the same church where the seminar was held, and also seek their help to find housing.

I am grateful every day for the American system of intervention that brought me off the streets in 2007. I hope to see programs like Housing First implemented in every community.

1. Personally, when I was homeless, the costs of my extended emergency hospitalization and brief incarcerations cost about fifteen to twenty thousand dollars. If I had benefited from Housing First, my rent and (non-emergency) healthcare would have probably been closer to ten thousand.