Homelessness can’t be alleviated overnight, but we at UnshelteredVoices believe that through the following policy solutions we can put Massachusetts on the path towards drastically reducing homelessness. But these changes won’t happen without your support. If you want to make an impact on this issue and help those in need, spend some time familiarizing yourself with the solutions listed below. And then exert your influence by factoring these issues into your vote. Or better yet call, email or write to your representatives, statewide officials and governmental agencies to make sure they know the exact changes you want to see.
Housing first programs, which give the long-term homeless a place to live with no strings attached, have been proven to dramatically reduce the number of individuals experiencing long-term homelessness and save money. By increasing the amount of state funds that go towards providing permanent housing instead of short term shelters, we can take an important step towards ending this crisis.
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), more than 1 in 4 chronically homeless individuals suffer from a severe mental illness. Until these people can get the help they desperately need, they will never be able to turn their lives around. That’s why the Commonwealth needs to significantly increase funding for and put a priority on mental health services, which reduce chronic homelessness and save money by keeping these individuals from ending up where far too many of the homeless do, in jail.
According to the same survey, more than a third of the chronically homeless have substance abuse issues. Again, the solution to this is simple. We need to increase funding for addiction treatment for the homeless, and allow them to get the help they need to overcome this difficult challenge.
While the HUD found that in January of 2014 approximately 21,000 individuals experienced homelessness on any given night in Massachusetts, there are only about 3000 shelter beds available statewide. We need to limit this massive gap through increased state funding of both public and private homeless shelters across the Commonwealth.
With the cost of a two-bedroom apartment in the Boston area approaching $1,500 a month, finding affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult. Many individuals become homeless because they are unable to afford such high rents. If we can create more affordable housing, we can end this cycle and make a significant dent in the number of people that become homeless. In order to do this, the Commonwealth needs to increase funding for housing voucher programs, housing subsidies, and further subsidize affordable housing development.
The Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit for low income, working people. One of the most effective tools for fighting poverty, the EITC provides much needed funds to individuals who don’t make enough to make ends meet, and provides a further incentive to work, therefore increasing employment. Currently the Commonwealth adds an additional 15% credit on to the Federal EITC. Increasing this percentage is popular among the Legislature and with the Governor, and will decrease poverty and homelessness across the state.
The foster care system in Massachusetts and in the nation is undeniably broken. Far too many kids come out of the system and become chronically homeless or just barely able to maintain an income and a place to sleep. The problems in the system are myriad and vastly complicated which is why the Commonwealth needs to create a commission to re-examine the system as a whole and the outcomes it creates, with the intention of presenting a reform package to the Legislature within two years. One thing that can be dealt with immediately is the problems that stems from vulnerable young adults who age out of the foster care system and become homeless soon after. After the age of 18, young adults receive only minimal support, and after age 22, they are completely kicked out of the system. This system must be reformed so that young adults who still may need counseling, mental health treatment, or substance abuse treatment, often as result of traumatic experiences within the foster care system, are given the care they need as they become an adult. Even though young adults who grew up in the foster care system may be entering their mid 20's, it does not mean they do not need support, and it is our responsibility to make sure they receive this help and do not end up out on the streets.