In this article 'Ending Homeless: a Model that just Might Work,' author Pam Fessler gives a heartening look at the overwhelming cause of ending homelessness. A group that started in NYC over 30 years called Common Ground has begun to make advances in their strategies that are producing serious results. Common Ground director Rosanne Haggerty began to notice, despite their best efforts to keep homeless shelters open and available, people were still living on the streets. Haggerty decided to bring in former special ops commander in the army, Becky Kanis, to help 'get things done.' Kanis began a 'into the streets' project that involved seeking out the homeless population rather than waiting for the homeless to come to the shelters. They began a 'vulnerability' ratio from 0-8, hoping to bring in the severest of cases who tend to not be able to help themselves. The shift has moved to bringing the homeless in on their own terms. And since this project began, Haggerty says the number of homeless in times square has gone down from 55 to 0. This is a promising statistic...but there are so many places in NYC yet to reach...and other cities are just beggining to implement the model. Our Country has a long way to go to ending homelessness...with other issues such as affordable housing to contend with, as well. But, the efforts of Common Ground are inspiring and hopeful.
From Grant Swanson
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