Menu
Donate
Volunteer

Housing First

Having a home is a fundamental human need in breaking the cycle of homelessness

Housing First is an approach focused on prioritizing housing in the delivery of homelessness support. Putting permanent housing first in the development of programs and services for families and individuals creates a platform to achieve an improved overall quality of life. Finding employment, addressing health and wellness issues, and recovering from the traumatic impacts of homelessness are made possible with a stable home.

Addressing Homelessness, One Person at A Time

As a proponent of Housing First, Families in Transition partners with people experiencing homelessness to find suitable living while they work to get back on their feet and into long-term housing. This may include staying in one of our emergency shelters, locating housing in one of our supportive housing units, or working to find a home in the community with support from our staff.

We work with people who are most vulnerable to the long-term effects of chronic homelessness. The Housing First program has been successful in several cities at eliminating chronic homelessness.  In many cases, when a formerly homeless person is provided with basic shelter, they can begin to make the changes needed to become more self-sufficient.

Key Components

  • No/low barrier access to housing
  • Values “flexibility, individualized supports, client choice, and autonomy” (endhomelessness.org)
  • Individualized supports “are not prescribed; people have the agency to select the supportive service they need and want, tailoring to their own unique situation” (endhomelessness.org)
  • Integrated case management and supportive services

Reducing Community Impact

With the implementation of the Housing First program, community costs are greatly reduced in helping individuals who are chronically homeless.  People experiencing homelessness often have regular contact with emergency rooms, ambulances, police, and homeless shelters.  These contacts are greatly reduced when a person has a stable living situation.  Even with the cost of rent, we have found that placing a person in the Housing First program reduces community costs by as much as 75% in just a six-month period.

See Our Housing Options