What is Housing First?

Is homelessness a housing problem or a human problem?

Housing First is an evidence-based systems approach to homelessness that prioritizes providing permanent housing without prerequisites or conditions (beyond those of a typical renter) to people experiencing homelessness so that they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. This approach is in contrast to outdated Treatment First approaches that aim to address addiction, mental illness and social pathologies prior to placing individuals in housing.

Housing First is not housing only

Person Centered Housing Options is a social services organization in Rochester, New York that identifies housing as a human right and, for struggling individuals, a tool to recovery, rehabilitation and self-sufficiency. 

Learn more about housing first by going here:

https://endhomelessness.org/resource/data-visualization-the-evidence-on-housing-first/

https://community.solutions/what-is-housing-first/