Spotlight: PATH and Housing First
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Description:
PATH and Housing First are a natural partnership. Although PATH programs are limited in their ability to assist financially with housing, PATH can provide the outreach as well as the initial case management and residential support services for those individuals moving into a Housing First program. Below you will find information about how five PATH Programs are supporting and partnering with Housing First, along with tips and ideas for starting and sustaining a Housing First program.
Content:
The Housing First philosophy was built on a dramatic shift from the expectation that people had to be “housing ready,” (clean, sober, and psychiatrically stable) before housing was provided. The premise of Housing First was to put people into housing and bring supportive services to them. This will enable the individual to stabilize and maintain that housing. It is based on the notion that housing is a human right. Sam Tsemberis in New York City was one of the pioneers of this movement during the 1990s. Pathways for Housing developed the Housing First model and has provided the field with experience and outcome data to create the support and momentum that the Housing First movement has today (Pathways to Housing, 2008).
Housing First programs aim to provide individuals with housing as quickly as possible. Once the individual is housed, the program focuses on case management and meeting the person’s service needs at their own pace. Housing First programs often aim to enroll the most difficult to reach individuals: people who have experienced chronic homelessness and have been unsuccessful in traditional housing, shelters, or other living situations. Housing First has been recognized by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness as a best practice, and there is a plethora of Housing First information on its website—provided in the resource section of this document. (Author)
Type of Resource:
PATH Resource
Publication Date:
2008
Location:
Newton Centre