Homelessness Project: Home at Last Response

We saw a new solution to homelessness in the latest video, "Home at Last". I found this solution, providing that all of what they said is factual, to be ideal. This foundation, Pathways, focuses on putting people into homes as soon as they can. They also tend to focus on people with substance addictions or medical and psychological disorders. What is so unique about this program is that they are willing to put people into a nice home of their own before rehabilitation. They then offer voluntary help programs that can lead people to a successful recovery. According to the video, they have found this method to actually be cheaper than paying the consequences for people being abandoned on the streets. According to the video, the average homeless person costs us about $100,000 in medical bills every 18 months. This could be greatly reduced by giving them a safe place to reside. I think this is a great solution because of the thought behind it. The people give homes to those who need them the most in a completely legal way and seem to really care about their tenants. They put a huge amount of trust into their participants and many of them rise to meet the challenge. Those being given homes can feel like they are contributing as they have to give Pathways one third of the money they earn. However, with each tenant costing about $22,000 dollars a year, the organization is extremely generous. They do not require any actions or hold the home over the participants' head the entire time. They give this home, no strings attached because they really want to see these people improve their lives and want to be the best they can be.

In the case of Footie, this program was perfect. Some people may not be suited for so much trust before being rehabilitated. However, in this case, Footie really wanted to do his best. He wanted to please his doctors and didn't want to be in an influenced state around those who had given so much to him. Even though they set no rules, he started to hold himself to a higher standard. Seeing the pride he has in his home and how he has improved because of this program really makes it seem like a viable option. I believe that one reason homeless people are sometimes so reluctant to give up their substance addiction is because they feel so hopeless. They may want to get better but have nowhere to start. There is some truth in the ideals of this program. If you give a person a house, that is one less thing they have to stress over. They now will have the time and energy to focus on recovery. By giving them this helping hand, they may be able to turn their entire life around and eventually pay for a place on their own and find a new meaning for themselves.

When this video was first mentioned, my immediate reaction was that it was not going to work as they planned. I did not see how you could reverse the process in the way they wanted to do it. However, after seeing it, the idea makes complete sense. Some people do better when they have these goals and motivation, others just need this kind of persistent support. Everybody needs a home and people who cheer them on. This program should definitely be expanded so more people can benefit in this way.