Gary Blasi and Phillip Mangano hit the nail on the head in their recent Los Angeles Times op-ed (Stop punishing and start helping LA’s homeless). The solution to homelessness in the City of Los Angeles is housing, housing, housing.
Not only is giving someone a home the humane response, but it’s the most cost-effective. It just makes sense.
The Downtown Women’s Center has been modeling Housing-First for the last three decades, and, as we’ve seen recently in places like Salt Lake City, it works. Housing-First is not an untested theory, but rather a proven, evidence-based solution to getting people off the streets and into permanent homes.
Based on a recent report by the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies, Los Angeles holds the undesirable title of being the least affordable rental market in the country. It’s time for our city leaders to address our homelessness crisis by allocating funding to our most needed resource: housing.
Donella Wilson
President, Downtown Women’s Center Board of Directors
Want to learn more about Housing First? Check out Housing 101, where we break down affordable housing and what you can do to get involved.