In an article from the Huffington Post, there was a study in North Carolina that showed signs that it is cheaper to give housing for homeless then for them to live on the streets. This study was conducted in an apartment complex of people who used to say they were homeless and showed a savings in health care and jail time. This apartment complex called the Moore house provides a safe place to live for 85 people who have suffered from homelessness for many years. The article stated that within a year the people who resided in the apartments “saved $1.8 million in health care costs, with 447 fewer emergency room visits (a 78 percent reduction) and 372 fewer days in the hospital (a 79 percent reduction).”  Additionally arrests and jail time both dropped roughly 80 percent. Most people do not think of the crimes that are committed to homeless people, only what crimes homeless commit to others. Yet, within the study, they discovered that crimes that are produced by homelessness, such as loitering, trespassing, and begging, aided in the prevention of increasing certain repercussions for the homeless.

In our course, we discuss many theories, ways, points of view, and alternatives we should give to homeless people. Housing would be the best option in a perfect world. The Moore house has the goal and motto of “housing first” which requires no drug test or what some would consider an invasion of privacy. They ultimately care about a persons well being and treats their tenants as people with compassion and support. This article went on to describe one of the inhabitants stories. As we have read, the system treats everyone differently depending on their characteristics. Needless to say, to “fix” the problem of homelessness we need to start at the root, which is reteaching the characteristics of certain groups and focusing opinions on experiences and interactions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/25/housing-first-homeless-charlotte_n_5022628.html