Housing First Thanks Community for "Getting Things Done"

On Wednesday evening, Riverwood Mental Health Center’s Executive Director Daniel Kubas-Meyer thanked the community for supporting its Housing First RI Program, that has created a focused effort to provide permanent solutions for the homeless.  The event was held at the . 

Housing First RI is a program that focuses on providing permanent, supportive housing for the chronically homeless.  

Several of the guests were honored by Daniel Kubas-Meyer as individuals or organizations who “get things done” and without whose support, the homeless population in Newport would not have the options provided by Housing First RI. 

Honored guests at the event were:, Newport’s Housing Hotline, Fifty Washington Square, , Newport County Community Mental Health Center.  Newport police officer, Jimmy Winters received special thanks from Housing First for his partnership and advocacy efforts to end homelessness in the community. The Van Beuren Charitable Foundation and the Rhode Island Foundation were also recognized for their significant contributions to the Housing First RI Program.

After the award ceremony, a short film, “From Street to Stage”, narrating a former homeless man’s journey to stability was shown and a vocal and guitar performance by James Thomas inspired a standing ovation.

Housing First’s premise is that vulnerable and at-risk homeless persons are more responsive to interventions and social services support after they are in their own home, rather than while living on the street, or in temporary or transitional facilities.

The chronically homeless is defined as someone who was continuously homeless for over a year or homeless four times over a three-year period. Most of the chronically homeless have co-occurring problems such mental illness, substance abuse, criminal justice involvement, and issues related to trauma.    

Unlike traditional programs, sobriety or participation in treatment is not a condition of receiving housing through Housing First. Residents must only comply with the tenets of a standard lease.  Once housed, the housing itself becomes an ongoing incentive to change. Riverwood’s staff has found that most will do whatever is necessary to keep their housing, including accessing treatment.

Newport’s Housing First Program is currently housing 13 individuals, more than half of the estimated 22 chronically homeless living in the city.

Through the Housing First model, the average client becomes far less dependent upon local resources, not only medically, but in terms of shelter space, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and law enforcement and correctional services.   The bottom line: by the end of 2012, HFRI will be housing more than 175 persons and families who were formerly homeless and saving over $1.4 million each year in publically funded services.  

This information has been provided by Housing First RI.