Issue
Homelessness

Utah shows How to break the Spiral of Homelessness

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Utah shows How to break the Spiral of Homelessness

The Salt Lake City program Homes First, 'is on Track to End Homelessness by 2015 with this one simple idea -- Give them an apartment first, ask questions later.'

The Daily Show takes an eye-opening look at this very simple, and surprisingly effective program to end homelessness, by giving the Homeless -- of all things -- Homes:

# Hasan Minhaj - The Homeless Homed (January 8th, 2015) -- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Link to the youtube clip. Link to the larger format version of this clip, on the huffingtonpost.

Who knew, solving such a perplexing problem could be so simple ... as providing actual shelter.

Proceed skeptics, for a few transcripts from that pseudo-journalistic Daily Show bit ...

Some selected transcripts:

From a formerly Homeless man, actually helped by the Homes First program:

This apartment has given me a Job.

And with that Job, I can move back to Chicago,

and be with my son, my daughter, and my family.

From the director of the Homes First program:

These 'handouts' cost about $10 to 12 thousand dollars, per person 'housed'. Compared with $20 thousand dollars a year, on the streets.

What we give them is more effective and efficient than the emergency system, ... emergency room visits, EMT runs, and Jail time.

And even though Bill O'Reilly goes apoplectic every-time he says something about these out-of-control 'social services' that:

'We just can't afford it!'

The real question should be:

'Can we afford not to -- provide them?'

As that man puts it, who now has his life back 'on track' again, thanks to having a home:

Why would I want to 'sleep on concrete' -- I didn't want to do it when I was out there. ...

No one wants to be poor.

Everyone needs a hand sometimes.

Well put, formerly-homeless man, well put.

'Is letting the economically down-trodden people of society -- actually become the invisible outcasts of society, really any cheaper -- in the economic long run?'

Someone really needs ask Bill O'Reilly that -- and the supposed tens of millions of viewers he stone-heartedly 'represents.'