As a response to the Third Street Camps an Op-Ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer
By Kevin Finn Strategies to End Homelessness President/CEO
A number of facts about homelessness have been absent from recent discussions about the homeless camp on Third Street, including:
- The vast majority of homeless people in Hamilton County are not on the streets.
- In fact, 14 percent of our homeless citizens slept on the streets last year.
- Meanwhile, 93 percent slept in an emergency shelter; 7 percent spent some time in each place.
- The total number of people on the streets and in shelters has remained stable over the past five years (-1.5 percent).
- The number of people specifically sleeping on the streets has declined by 42 percent, as more people have come into emergency shelters.
In short, the average person experiencing homelessness is not on the streets or in a camp. And is not reluctant to enter the homeless shelters which are so critical to our community.
Unfortunately, something else that has been absent from recent discussions about homelessness is consideration of any long-term solutions to problems such as homeless camps. This is true despite the fact that potential solutions are not that difficult to find.
If the problem is homelessness, the answer is housing.
While not all homeless people enter an emergency shelter, the vast majority would accept permanent housing – an apartment, a permanent place to live – if available. If there were 40 people sleeping in the Third Street camp, we could house them for a year for the costs outlined below – including hiring a case manager or social worker who would do home visits, check in on the residents in their new housing, and work with them on their long-term stability to make sure they don’t become homeless again.
The fair market rent on a one-bedroom apartment is $643 per month
- 40 people x $643 x 12 months = $308,640
- One full-time case manager would cost $65,000
7 percent administration for the housing agency would cost $26,155 - Total cost: $399,795
Keep in mind that the city was prepared to spend $60,000 for just eight weeks of temporary shelter. Meanwhile, for $400,000, we could have largely eliminated the camp by providing permanent housing for 12 months. In addition, if such funding were available on an ongoing basis, such a housing program could move on to house others who are on the streets of downtown Cincinnati, even if not specifically on Third Street.
To be clear, such a housing intervention is far from new. Using federal government funding, my organization is fortunate to partner with almost 20 other non-profit organizations that run such programs now. However, there is not enough funding to offer housing to everyone who is homeless. And with federal funds we cannot give the small percentage of homeless people who are sleeping in one location a preference for housing over other homeless people. People who are in other situations and places (family and singles shelters, victims of domestic violence, etc).
By contrast, with a new source of funding, such as from the numerous downtown businesses that were recently confronted with the realities of homelessness on Third Street, we could specifically try to reduce the number of people on the streets of downtown going forward.
While the city may have a role to play, funding for such a housing intervention does not have to come from the city.
Corporations that are concerned about homelessness in any area could pool their considerable resources to address such issues in a permanent way. Again, if homelessness is the problem, housing is the answer.
