Account: With no restrictions, Housing First “encourages self-destruction”

Ginny Burton of ChangeWA previously worked for a nonprofit that carried out Housing First policies, but she was horrified to observe homeless individuals rampantly endangering themselves and others--and being, in the most practical sense, rewarded for it. Instead, homelessness and housing approaches must manage underlying causes, says Burton.

Housing first does provide shelter, but it also imprisons vulnerable adults in the same space as predators. There is no requirement for self improvement and staff enable continued destructive behavior. People in these environments use drugs, overdose and die, commit prostitution and practice a tremendous amount of illegal behavior comparable to the streets, with impunity. It is an extension of the harm reduction model that encourages self-destruction and is protected because it happens behind closed doors. 

Once a person enters a low income, housing first building there is no support to improve their quality of life or move on from this kind of environment, regardless of age or circumstance. Capacity equals funding, so these programs are incentivized to keep units full. These environments are often as dangerous as the streets. 

Staff and residents are assaulted, residents preyed on, robbed, trafficked and more. In the five years I worked in the field, I know of maybe three clients out of hundreds who improved their quality of life and stopped using drugs, as a direct result of my support and encouragement. Everything a person needs to destroy themselves is provided inside these buildings, not just by other tenants. The percentage of people who successfully transition out of these environments is very low….

A holistic, intentional approach addressing the contributing factors of a person’s circumstances is imperative. We must change the definition of harm reduction by meeting individual deficits, discovered through in-depth assessment, with the necessary education and training to enable independence. As it stands today, we are monetizing life support for those suffering on the streets while enabling the victimization of citizens in society. 

This article originally appeared in ChangeWA. Read the whole thing here.

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