Providing housing for homeless helps them and taxpayers, speaker says
Debbie Kelley
Colorado Springs Gazette
Battered by exposure to the elements, alcohol abuse, street fights and inadequate health care, the chronic homeless have an average life expectancy of 41 to 47 years, compared with the national average of 77 years.
One solution, according to homeless advocates, is the concept of “housing as health care” – the idea that providing immediate housing for those without permanent residences can improve their quality of life and well-being while also reducing taxpayers’ costs.
Dr. Barbara Wismer, a physician and medical director for a homeless center in San Francisco, has seen the concept work firsthand. Known for its creative approaches to solving homelessness, San Francisco houses about 1,000 formerly homeless people in 23 sites that include rehabbed motels and apartment buildings.
The “permanent supportive housing” program first gets a roof over people’s heads, then addresses their physical and mental problems and links them up with case managers.
“Housing makes health and social services easier to deliver and improves access to health care,” said Wismer, a speaker at Monday’s “Conference on Homeless in the Pikes Peak Region.” “It also reduces their exposure to illnesses, allows for accurate diagnoses and daily dispensing of medications, and enables them to eat healthier.”
Colorado Springs has a similar program, Housing First…
