No shoes. No socks. No jacket. It's a cold, windy winter night in New York City and thousands of homeless people sit on streets corners hugging themselves for warmth. This is the image we think of when we think of the homeless. While this is one possible situation for a homeless individual, there are so many other groups that face homelessness that many people aren't generally aware of.  Families, youth, and veterans all face the issue of homelessness. On any given night, 564,708 people are homeless, which includes individuals, families and veterans ("Snapshot of Homelessness"). With so many facing the issue, how do we fix it?  The "housing first" model has been developed to focus on giving homeless individuals a home and resources to help them adjust to a new lifestyle (Brown). By providing a stable environment, a home, individuals will be more successful in multiple aspects of their life, such as their physical and mental health, relationships, work situation, and overall income. In turn, these individuals will be able to give back to our society in a positive way. 

For many years, homelessness was viewed as an irreversible issue. Most believed there would never be a way to end homelessness. In 1992, Dr. Sam Tsemberis founded an organization called Pathways to Housing and developed the housing first model. This model specifically focused on homeless individuals with disabilities and disorders ("Housing First Model"). The program combined a home and resources like treatment for health and substance abuse along with supportive services for education and employment ("Housing First Model"). There has been a lot of success with this model in many large cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. It is a positive step when large cities have the program because it provides resources for a large percentage of the homeless population. However, a big issue that the homeless community still faces is the accessibility to this program. Smaller communities have been unable to start the housing first program due to a lack of funding from the state and support from surrounding citizens. Leaving the decisions for funding up to the state creates more issues because not all states have the budget to spend on providing housing to the homeless individuals. By making policies at a federal level it will provide equal opportunity to the homeless communities that aren't in big cities. 

Homelessness awareness has grown tremendously within the past ten years. As a result the federal government, specifically the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, has made a commitment to "fair housing." (Tegeler). Fair housing means that all racial groups will be provided the same resources, houses will be built according to need, and increasing the assistance rate for placing school-aged children in above average school communities (Tegeler). This step will ensure that housing is afforded to everyone from a federal level, no matter what the condition. If policies are created on federal levels there is a better chance of regulating the practices throughout the states and eliminate the issue of homelessness completely. Several policies are currently in action to help with this issue. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is in place to provide federal funding to states in order to support district programs that serve homeless students ("Washington State Requirements"). This act ensures the education of homeless youth, despite a lack of documentation that is generally required ("Washington State Requirements"). However this policy is only supporting a percentage of the homeless population. There needs to be funding to all groups, not just the youth. If one group benefits from more funding than the others, this will create an imbalance and allow for more individuals to slip through the cracks. 

The housing first program has shown a great amount of success and creates more opportunities for homeless individuals than other resources. In a study, two groups, a sample of 91 individuals from the housing first program and a sample of normal care homeless individuals, were analyzed to determine their success in residential status and hospitalization (Brown). Between the two groups, the housing first sample had 91% housing rate, meaning they didn't return to life on the streets. Meanwhile in the normal care sample, nearly 64.8% had returned to shelters and homelessness and 24.2% were a part of independent or supportive housing (Brown). These results provide strong evidence of the effectiveness of housing first and the goal of getting individuals into a home and having them stay there. In regards to hospitalization, results showed that the housing first sample spent significant less time in health care facilities after being placed in a home versus the normal care group (Brown). The hospitalization and psychiatric care that housing first provides along with a home allows individuals more chance of success in living an independent life. This evidence further proves the effective nature of housing first and how it is necessary to continue endorsing it through non-profits to the federal government. 

Homelessness faces many stereotypes. The idea that homeless individuals are lazy, incompetent, and worthless appears because many people do not understand the circumstances of people's situations. Housing first faces the opposition that money shouldn't being spent on providing a home for homeless individuals. The individuals who are given the home will use it to continue their addictions and not be able to find a source of income after being on the streets for so long. Many believe the evidence and research to prove that providing a home to the homeless is not substantial enough to provide millions and billions of dollars to support. The research done by Dennis Culhane in which the housing first model was founded upon was conducted in two cities, New York City and Philadelphia (Law). While the homeless populations in these cities are very large it doesn't attest to the idea that housing first is the best method for all of society. When the housing first model appeared, there wasn't enough evidence to prove it would work in many cities and communities. However, as the program has expanded, there is more evidence to prove that the plan is more beneficial than harmful. 

As hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the states take on the housing first model and ten-year plans, many see the optimism in the goal to end homelessness. Yet there are many issues with the effectiveness of the housing first model and other methods to end homelessness. Every year the prices for affordable homes increase. This in turn makes it difficult to continue to provide homes for the homeless. While the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) presses to expand their services, they are unable to do much with the budget that Congress has allocated to them (Cohen). This further shows the need to take on the task of ending homelessness at more of a federal level due to the ability to acquire larger funds. A national policy will ensure a yearly budget and account for all the necessary resources to support the solution for the issue of homelessness. 

Another issue that is rooted within the Pathways to Housing, housing first model, is the deep roots for the traditional methods of "solving" homelessness. Many Americans see the solution for homelessness in treating them as a patient before rewarding them with a home. A study conducted by several researchers examined the perspectives of the housing first and traditional programs. The housing first method was defined as individuals being placed in homes and being provided with resources regardless of mental illness or substance abuse (Henwood). The traditional method was defined as treatment before the reward of a home (Henwood). Each of these methods were then taken and put into a study where providers, people helping the homeless, were given a questionnaire that determined the values and approaches of treatment. Through this statistical data was found to prove that providers within the housing first program were more values based than the traditional program (Henwood). Through this data it shows that the treatment within the housing first program is more suitable for individual values. By focusing everyone to the housing first method, more values will be instilled in the individuals going through the process. 

The housing first model focuses mainly on providing a home and rehabilitation resources in order to help those who have faced chronic homelessness. However, the medical services aren't meeting the requirements of what many of these individuals need to be in good health. In a study researchers analyzed the death rates among the population involved in housing first versus the general homeless population and compared them ("Examining Mortality"). Results showed that the homeless population associated with the housing first programs was more likely to face mortality at an earlier age in comparison with the general homeless population ("Examining Mortality"). The health risks related to homelessness range anywhere from cancer to infections that grow into bigger problems. The issue of higher mortality rates among the housing first program was generally found to occur during the initial point of adjustment to the home ("Examining Mortality"). This shows that there wasn't enough support from health care services and other treatments that could prevent many of these deaths had there been more interaction. To decrease the rate of mortality within the housing first program population, there should be more interaction between health care services and homeless individuals facing this life-changing transition. By providing these services there will be a better chance of success in ending homelessness. 

Why should we end homelessness? This question floats around because many individuals believe that there has to be people at the bottom of the totem pole in order to maintain a balanced society.  Giving them resources to succeed will only help them to benefit society as a whole. Everyone deserves the opportunity to have success. Thousands of children are left homeless and not afforded opportunities, like education, that would provide them with knowledge to further their path to success. Housing should be viewed as a right rather than a privilege. People are put into situations that perpetuate issues that can eventually lead to homelessness. Providing home not only reassures society's faith in them as individuals, but also saves taxpayers money every year. Murray Burr of Reno, Nevada, also known as "Million Dollar Murray", was a homeless man, who accumulated nearly a million dollars in emergency room, jail, ambulance, and shelter costs (Snyder). While all this money was spent to help protect him, he passed away homeless on the streets. This how taxpayers lose their money and lives are lost. A study in Denver showed that an average of $15,733 per year per homeless person was saved by eliminating shelter, criminal justice, health care, and treatment costs through the housing first model (Snyder). This money is enough to offset the money of housing and still have money left over (Snyder). Ending homelessness will only help to save the public money while also benefitting the individuals who face the tragedy of it.

In today's society discrimination is prevalent. On the news there are stories of racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and sexual orientation discrimination within the general population. Often times we don't focus on the consequences and results of the discrimination. Homeless individuals face a wide array of discrimination on a daily basis despite the lack of publicity about it. The United States is a melting pot of people from all over the world, and as a result the homeless population is very similar. Researchers in Canada conducted a study that looked at the quantitative rates of discrimination among a group of 231 ethnoracially diverse individuals (Zerger). The results showed that the most prevalent form of discrimination was associated with homelessness and poverty, followed by race and mental illness (Zerger). These results would be very surprising to many individuals as often times race and sexual orientation are publicized. Discrimination can be underrated as it weakens the group and causes issues that aren't always evident to the public. Homeless people gain a sense of empowerment if they are given the respect as any other individual. By ending homelessness, many individuals will not face constant discrimination and embarrassment. 

From a local aspect, Columbia, South Carolina does provide a housing first program. The University of South Carolina School of Medicine (USCSM) partners with the Columbia Housing Authority to lease apartments to the homeless individuals and families in the local area ("USCSM Supportive Housing"). The program is continually growing as it reaches out to other organizations like Families First, which will create more supportive services for the homeless community within Columbia. Through the endorsement of the university, there is more awareness of the issue of homelessness along with having funding to support the many services required by the housing first program. The USCSM provides services like life skills, budgeting, mental health counseling, and many more to help target a broad range of groups that fall into a variety of situations ("USCSM Supportive Housing"). More universities should sponsor programs like housing first to show the community the importance of the issue at hand and allow college age students to realize the reality of what many people go through. Awareness and involvement of homelessness helps to destroy the stereotypes that homeless people are lazy and incompetent. 

As several programs and the United States government continue to work to help the homeless population many ask the question, "How will they give back and contribute to society?" Through the services provided, they will be able to receive any necessary treatment for mental illness or substance abuse. By doing so, taxpayers will save money from them taking trips to the emergency room without insurance. While in better health, they will be able to locate places of employment, whether it is a small restaurant or low level job in corporation. Finding employment will motivate them to work hard and give them the initiative to earn money. Any source of income will benefit society as they will begin to pay taxes. Many individuals who have experienced homelessness are more willing to share their stories and serve as mentors for those who are struggling with similar situations. Receiving home shows trust and gives homeless individuals the confidence to make a difference in our society as we have entrusted them with a place to live. In every service provided, a majority of homeless individuals will succeed in creating a life that benefits society, which in turn benefits those within it. 

A home, heating and cooling, shoes, and confidence. These are what homeless individuals gain when they join a program like housing first. As 564,708 individuals can be homeless on any night, society should fight to make sure no one is homeless ("Snapshots of Homelessness"). Through local, state, and federal government programs along with non-profit organizations there is plenty of opportunity to end the tragedies of homelessness. As homeless individuals receive homes and supportive services, everyone saves money while also benefitting the lives of those who aren't as fortunate. Health care services is also a key part of ensuring that homeless individuals adjust properly into their new environment and live healthy lives, unlike what they may have experienced prior. The opportunities afforded to the homeless individuals will create a healthier and safer society along with saving the lives of many. Housing first needs continued support in order to thrive and provide to the homeless population until the end of homelessness. 

