PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS
Preventing Homelessness
When people lose their housing because it was too expensive or too dangerous for them in the first place OR because of health problems or job loss or family break-up OR because any little problem became too big to overcome, they become homeless. If there is not a safety net to catch them and get them back into decent affordable housing, they can become chronically homeless.
This is not just a disaster for homeless people and those who care about them, this is a disaster for the whole community. Why? Because when people don’t have a safe place to call home, health problems multiply, with trips to hospital emergency rooms. Police work mounts, with occasion time in jail, because when you don’t have your own place, you are likely to be moved on from someone else’s place. Children are sometimes separated from parents when the family becomes homeless, in foster care or with relatives.
All this costs a lot of money for hospitals and the city and the county, without really making life better for anyone. People are still living and dying homeless after all the dollars are spent. BUT if we spend those dollars to get people back into housing–with help for the underlying problems that precipitated housing loss–everyone will benefit.
The Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County is over 50 organizations working together to prevent homelessness: shelters, transitional housing programs, groups that provide services to people on the edge of homelessness, city and county government. Together, these groups are committed to providing the leadership, advocacy, coordination, and dedication to preventing homelessness.