Housing First is an approach to quickly and successfully connect individuals and families experiencing homelessness to permanent housing without preconditions and barriers to entry, such as sobriety, treatment or service participation requirements. Supportive services are offered to maximize housing stability and prevent returns to homelessness as opposed to addressing predetermined treatment goals prior to permanent housing entry.
Housing First emerged as an alternative to the linear approach in which people experiencing homelessness were required to first participate in and graduate from short-term residential and treatment programs before obtaining permanent housing. In the linear approach, permanent housing was offered only after a person experiencing homelessness could demonstrate that they were “ready” for housing. By contrast, Housing First is premised on the following principles:
Homelessness is first and foremost a housing crisis and can be addressed through the provision
of safe and affordable housing.
All people experiencing homelessness, regardless of their housing history and duration of
homelessness, can achieve housing stability in permanent housing. Some may need very little
support for a brief period of time, while others may need more intensive and long-term supports.
Everyone is “housing ready.” Sobriety, compliance in treatment, or even criminal histories are
not necessary to succeed in housing. Rather, homelessness programs and housing providers
must be “consumer ready.”
Many people experience improvements in quality of life, in the areas of health, mental health,
substance use, and employment, as a result of achieving housing.
People experiencing homelessness have the right to self-determination and should be treated
with dignity and respect.
The exact configuration of housing and services depends upon the needs and preferences of the
population.
