Homelessness…is a problem. (We can all agree on that, right?)
You can’t fix all problems just by throwing money at them, despite what the Kardashians might suggest. (A less appreciated fact, but still most would agree.) But would it actually cost LESS in the long run to throw a LOT of money at solving this issue now?
Hear us out on these Five Fast Facts about homelessness and how much it costs:
- 📈How Big Is The Problem? As of January 2020, there are around 4500 homeless Wisconsinites. Almost 300 of those are unaccompanied youth. 😭
- 💰💰How Much Does The Problem Cost? Studies estimate that each homeless person costs an average of $5400 for medical care per year (not including rehab, which can be another $10k-15k per person), $15k-20k for criminal processing and/or prison, and $8k in homeless shelter costs. This means that hospitals, shelters, and taxpayers are paying up to $15k-48k per homeless person per year.
- 🏠Solutions, Please! The single most effective solution to homelessness is stable, supportive housing. Nationally, it costs taxpayers around $36k per homeless person per year, but those costs are cut in half by supportive housing that reduces the stuff in point #2 above. Even with the cost of that housing, there’s a net taxpayer savings of about $5k per year per no-longer-homeless person! Plus, supportive housing results in these folks having a 60% decrease in health care costs, a 57% decrease in mental health costs, and the likelihood of crime decreasing by 80%! #winwin
- 👮🏢More Solutions, Please! Beyond housing, there are lots of things that can be done to help on a local level. Good crime policies, city tax policies that incentivize businesses (more jobs!), and planning well for growth that includes low income housing are all things that make a difference. It’s the little things (and the big things), right?
- 🗳️What Can YOU Do? You can start by supporting charities like the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Streetwise, Catholic Charities, and many others. To get involved yourself, it’s also simple: participate! Vote in your local elections. Learn about your local candidates and support those who will do what you think is best. Even when federal or state money is used, it often falls to local folks to execute the plans that reach the actual people in need (us local folks know how to get things done better anyway).
🔥Bottom line: It’s such a huge problem that it may seem impossible to tackle. Good news: it’s not! It just takes people like us, and people like YOU, to get involved and help get things done. Heck, maybe you don’t just vote…maybe you run for office yourself and lead the efforts! Crazier things have happened. Just sayin’.
How will you make a difference on homelessness?
Guess what? The President doesn't impact homelessness much...but your local & state government reps do! Here’s three small things you can do that make a BIG impact:
