‘Housing First’, then ‘Wrapping’, Can Help Reduce Homelessness
In places like Calgary and Medicine Hat, solid signs that united social services make a different.
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Placing vulnerable or homeless people in homes first, then “wrapping” them in other social services, isn’t a new idea. In places like Medicine Hat, Alberta and Salt Lake City, Utah, where it’s been thoroughly applied, the practice has been credited with sharply reducing and even nearly eliminating chronic homelessness.
Reporter Stefania Seccia dug deeper into these success stories, and found some valuable lessons for British Columbia. You can read her full report here.
Albertan cities like Calgary and Medicine Hat call this approach “Housing First,” to make sure those who need shelter don’t have to jump through any additional hoops to get it.
In the video above, Seccia shares the story of Chantelle, one of the first people that Calgary’s Alpha House helped after housing became its top priority for clients in 2008.
This story is part of a partnership between Megaphone Magazine and The Tyee’s Housing Fix on homelessness solutions. Megaphone is a magazine sold by homeless and low-income vendors on the streets of Vancouver and Victoria.