The Path Forward 

HUD estimates that it would cost $20 billion to end homelessness in the United States. PAC — Permanence, Assistance, and Crisis Readiness — is a framework for helping us get closer to this goal. 

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• 🏡 Permanence — Permanence refers to long-term solutions like finding homes for homeless people, arguing that the upfront investment can have huge gains down the road. Investments in permanence solutions have been responsible for an 8% reduction in chronically homeless families over the last 13 years and are particularly helpful for the 13% of families that return to homeless care after 30 days. The major proponents of permanence solutions argue that it only costs $12,800 per person annually for these solutions, as opposed to crisis readiness solutions that tend to cost $35,000 per person annually. The Coalition for the Homeless estimates keeping a family in their home (i.e. preventing them from ever experiencing homelessness in the first place) saves taxpayers $68,422 per year in shelter costs.

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• 🛟 Assistance — Assistance refers to those medium-term solutions like shelters, hotels, or camp sites. There are 301,000 assistance beds for homeless people in America, but this has fallen by 9% in the last 5-years. America now has a 170,000 bed gap for people who need places but have nowhere to sleep.

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• ⛑ Crisis Readiness — Crisis Readiness refers to supportive services for people who may be having mental breakdowns, are struggling with addiction, or need security from violence in the home. Studies have found that people who don’t take their schizophrenia medication are much more likely to be homeless as are those struggling with PTSD and those battling substance abuse. Crisis Readiness services can help families and individuals manage tremendous challenges so that they can get back to their jobs, their communities, and their lives. Executive Order 13594 was a strong step in the right direction.