Homelessness: What Is the Best Approach to Tackling It?

There are two broad approaches to homelessness. Housing first prioritizes providing stable, permanent housing to individuals experiencing homelessness without preconditions such as sobriety, employment, or mental health treatment. The core idea is that housing is a basic human right, and that once a person has a secure place to live, they are better able to address other challenges like mental health, substance use, or unemployment. 

The second approach is best described as intervention first or work first. Under this approach, providers use a tiered system of shelter, treatment, and training to build self-sufficiency. Housing is assumed to be the byproduct of self-governing behavior rather than a human right. Program residents must abide by sobriety rules, work or workforce training requirements, and potentially contribute portions of their pay to the program itself. 

As homelessness has grown in Colorado and in the Denver metro area, some local and state leaders have championed housing first policies. Denver’s All In Mile High program embodies a housing first approach. Other cities have adopted work first policies, meanwhile, but these programs are generally unable to secure federal aid due to HUD’s housing first prioritization. 

CSI has analyzed the trends associated with each approach to better understand outcomes and this podcast episode delves into the issue more deeply. 

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The study: "No Place to Call Home: The Stark Reality of Homelessness in Colorado" can be found here.

Our research can be found here.

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