Chronic homelessness is defined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as an individual who is either (1) an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or more, or (2) an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition who has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

 

The solution to chronic homelessness is permanent supportive housing

The Central Florida Commission on Homelessness conducted an Economic Impact Study (The Cost of Long-Term Homelessness in Central Florida, November 2014) that found that it is more costly to do nothing than to house and support people living on the streets of Central Florida. Permanent Supportive Housing combines a housing subsidy with wrap-around case management services for healthcare, substance abuse, and mental health. Learn more about our findings by checking out the More Data fact sheet on the right side of the page.

 

For the last three years, Central Florida leaders have tested the Housing First Model

The goal was to test the impact of permanent supportive housing by identifying and housing 100 of the most chronically homeless individuals in the region.

If these individuals were housed and provided intensive case management, what would the results show?

In less than three years, here's what we found:

• 222 chronically homeless individuals were housed through the pilot
• 98 percent of participants remained housed
• Hospitals experienced a 60 percent decline in Emergency Room visits post housing
• It costs $18,000 per year to house an individual compared to $31,000 per year to have them case managed on the streets