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Affordable Housing with Services
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What is supportive housing?
Supportive housing is permanent housing with social services for
the formerly homeless, people with mental and/or medical disabilities,
the elderly, and individuals with low-income. Supportive housing
combines affordable accomodations with services like mental health
and drug addiction counseling, job training and placement, community
activities, and help with life skills like cooking and money management.
Why was it developed?
Supportive housing was created by non-profits around the country as
a more holistic response to homelessness. According to the 2002 Status
Report on Hunger and Homlessness, at least 55% of homeless single
adults in the United States have problems such as mental illness,
substance abuse and HIV/AIDS -- problems which contribute to their
homelessness. By offering a variety of support services designed to
address these issues, supportive housing has paved the way for an
effective approach to solving homelessness.
What does it look like?
It looks like every other type of housing because it is like other
housing. Tenants have their own apartments, hold their own leases
and are responsible for upholding the terms of those leases. In
West Hollywood, California, supportive housing can be rehabilitated
bungalows; in Ohio, it can be six two-unit houses; in New York City,
it can be an old hotel restored to house hundreds of people. What's
important – both for neighbors and tenants – is that supportive
housing is integrated both socially and physically into the surrounding
community, and maintains quality property management.
Does it really offer an effective solution
to homelessness?
Two long-term government studies have shown that more than 83% of
the homeless individuals placed in supportive housing have remained
in permanent housing and have reintegrated into mainstream society.
How much does it cost?
While the cost of supportive housing varies according to the populations
housed, the variety of services provided and the location, supportive
housing generally costs on average $13,000 per tenant per year.
Maintaining a permanent apartment with supportive services at Common
Ground's supportive housing residences in New York costs approximately
$11,400 annually; in comparison, a New York City municipal shelter
costs the City between $23,000-$36,000 per person per year to operate,
and maintaining a psychiatric hospital bed in New York costs up
to $250,000 per year.
For more information:
- The Corporation
for Supportive Housing website includes extensive information
on supportive housing, including photographs, publications and
on-line articles.
- The Supportive
Housing Network of New York, a coalition of 160 private non-profit
supportive housing providers, also maintains a website with useful
information about supportive housing and advocacy in New York.
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