More long-term supportive housing needed in Eastern Iowa

Each person experiencing homelessness has a distinct history, a personal story and a unique set of mental and physical challenges and capabilities. So there can be no silver bullet that will end homelessness for all people. No solitary tool that will fix such a variety of needed repairs.

There are times when a brief 'hand up” will help a person or family bounce back from unexpected unemployment or a devastating disaster. In those cases, short-term assistance is all that is needed. But for others, personal or family struggles require more long-term investments to address underlying issues.

Here in the Corridor, long-term supportive housing is working to end chronic homelessness for some, but supply is not keeping up with demand.

Creating more such housing opportunities would help more Eastern Iowans achieve housing stability - at a significant savings to taxpayers.

FAIRWEATHER LODGES

For those whose homelessness is rooted in struggles with serious mental illness, a few nights in an emergency shelter, or even help finding employment and a more permanent home won't provide the stability necessary to stay employed or housed.

Those coping with mental illness can spend years shifting between shelters, jails and hospitals. It's a cycle that doesn't only cause misery for the individual, but also comes at a significant public cost.

A five-year study by the Johnson County Local Homeless Coordinating Board, completed in 2014, followed four chronically homeless people. On average, each person accumulated about $140,000 per year in unreimbursed taxpayer costs for services like law enforcement and emergency medical care. The four totaled more than $2.1 million over the course of the study - well beyond the cost of permanent housing and support. It's a figure Linn County advocates say would hold true if they were to complete a similar study.

For this population, supportive housing - affordable rental housing that is used as a platform to access critical community-based wraparound services such as medical care, mental or behavioral treatment and life planning - is the most effective and efficient way to break the cycle.

Iowa City's Shelter House began its Fairweather Lodge program in November 2011, and now operates three 'lodges” that provide long-term, supported housing for adults with chronic mental illness who have a history of unstable housing.

Six housemates undergo months of training before they are placed together and begin to function like to a family. They work (mainly through service businesses run by Shelter House), pay rent and run the household together - shopping, cooking, cleaning and repairing. Although a professional caseworker oversees the group, lodge residents primarily support each other, even double-checking to make sure that everyone who needs medication is taking it regularly.

From a taxpayer and personal dignity perspective, the program is a win-win. A need for fewer caseworkers means that less taxpayer and/or private donor support is needed. Federal housing grants have helped purchase the lodges. For many of the residents, the paychecks they've earned are the first they've seen in years.

As underlying issues that contribute to homelessness are addressed, participants gain more personal control and stability. Some are able to move out of programs and into a fully independent life, without the added group support.

PUSH-CR

Cedar Rapids is one of five Iowa cities chosen for a federal demonstration project that helps homeless and near homeless families who also have an open child welfare case.

Just as in many supportive housing initiatives, participants have problems that can't be adequately addressed by the services available at an emergency shelter. Instead, families admitted to the program sit at one table with all of the agencies needed to address ongoing issues. Bringing all agency representatives together along the family provides a workable and singular path aimed at minimizing destructive behaviors and addressing other challenges such as substance abuse, family court concerns, and medical care.

Families, once facing separation and disruption if improvements could not be made, are overcoming long-standing problems and remaining together.

Although the initiative is limited to a five-year window, ending in September 2017, participants and the 22 collaborating agencies and organizations involved are determining which program pieces they will be able to sustain over the long term.

MORE OPTIONS NEEDED

Stable housing provides a foundation upon which people can build and rebuild their lives. Without that foundation, it remains nearly impossible to achieve good health, much less full potential. But for some Eastern Iowans experiencing homelessness, housing - at least initially - is not enough to prevent future homelessness.

Fairweather Lodges and PUSH-CR are two very different programs with a proven ability to make a difference. Still, more options are needed.

An inclusive community must commit to systemic change that can support people as they address their individual challenges. Emergency shelters are key, but not a complete solution. Providing housing while withholding vital medical and therapeutic service is a foolhardy waste of taxpayer investment.

Homelessness is a visible barometer of a community's moral and cultural health - and it continues to rise. As more people exit state hospitals, return from military combat and finish jail sentences, need for supportive housing and services will only increase.

We can and should offer cost-effective solutions like supportive housing for people vulnerable to homelessness and battling mental illnesses.

' Gazette editorials reflect the consensus opinion of The Gazette Editorial Board. Share your comments and ideas with us: (319) 398-8469; editorial@thegazette.com