Which Way Home? 25 Introduction of the implementation of the National ‘Housing First’ strategy (from 3,600 ‘long term’ homeless This chapter examines the wider context of people in 2008 to 2,730 in 2011, a fall of 33%)3. housing-led approaches in other countries. The One study in New York reported that 88% of chapter explores the development of housing-led formerly chronically homeless people using approaches before moving on to examine the Pathways Housing First were still stably housed evidence base on the efficacy of these approaches. after five years (Tsemberis, 2010a). This includes a consideration of subsequent As argued by O’Sullivan (2012, p.28) in his review debates on the effectiveness of housing-led of homelessness strategy and the possible use of approaches, with a particular focus on the use of housing-led approaches for the Government: different models such as communal housing options. Such an approach, which includes the use of “ scattered ordinary rented housing, floating support, ‘consumer’ choice and control, including harm The spread of housing-led services reduction, the use of both flexible direct provision of support to high needs and case management/ There is clear evidence that housing-led service brokering and open ended support approaches are highly effective in reducing long represents a departure from the ‘staircase’ or term and recurrent homelessness associated with ‘continuum of care’ approach, which until recently high support needs (Tsemberis, 2010; O’Sullivan, has dominated responses to in Ireland and many 2012; Pleace, 2012; Busch-Geertsema, 2013). European member states and North America. Housing ‘First’ services, which began with the The key reasons for the success of housing-led operation of the Pathways to Housing Model in approaches (Tsemberis, 2010 and 2010a; New York, were much more effective in ending O’Sullivan, 2012; Pleace, 2012; Busch- ‘chronic’ homelessness than previous staircase Geertsema, 2013; Pleace and Quilgars, 2013) are models, which had sought to make someone who generally regarded as including: was homeless and had high support needs ‘housing-ready’ during a stay in supported l an underlying philosophy that housing is a human right; congregate or communal accommodation before they were given access to housing. As housing-led l no requirement to cease using drugs and services began to spread across the USA, into alcohol (though support is on offer); Canada and into the North and North West of the l a harm reduction approach; European Union, the original successes that had l no requirement to comply with psychiatric been achieved in New York were replicated. treatment (though treatment is on offer); Rates of housing sustainment of 84%, 86%, l separating housing from support, i.e. access to housing is not conditional on complying with 97.5%, 93.8%, 92.9% and 79.4% have been treatment, stopping use of drugs or alcohol; achieved by various models of housing-led services, using different forms of the Housing First l ensuring people who have experienced long approach to support formerly chronically homeless term/chronic homelessness have control over people in the USA, Canada, the Netherlands, their homes; Denmark, the UK and Portugal (Pleace and l open-ended provision of support. Quilgars, 2013; Busch-Geertsema, 2013). By As O’Sullivan (2012) notes, housing-led services, contrast, the staircase models, that aimed to make including the Pathways Housing First model, are people who were experiencing long term/chronic designed as services specifically intended to homelessness housing ready through a stay in prevent and reduce long term and recurrent supported congregate and communal homelessness associated with high support needs, accommodation had only achieved success rates i.e. chronic homelessness, they are not designed of less than 50% (Pleace, 2008). In Finland, there is evidence of falling ‘long term’ homelessness among people with high support needs as a result 3 Source: Finnish Government, 2013
Which Way Home?
To see the actual publication please follow the link above