The Cost of Chronic Homelessness vs. The Cost of Public Supportive Housing

• In Event: The Pedagogy of Justice: Student-Faculty-Community Collaborative Engagement in Justice Research/Scholarship in New Orleans

Abstract

Students at Loyola University New Orleans participated in a semester-long community engagement research project, developed in collaboration with Loyola’s Office of Community Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship (CELTS) and the Harry Thompson Center (HTC) in New Orleans. Based on a growing body of research in cities across the U.S., students conducted a comparative analysis of the total cost of chronic homelessness to society (due to constant arrest/court appearances/imprisonment, ambulance trips, emergency care, and hospitalization, etc.) and costs associated with the Public Supportive Housing (PSH) program (i.e., cost of providing a stable residence and paired services that address individual needs). Survey results of 250 homeless individuals and a comparison of the costs of ignoring the needs of the homeless vs. the PSH program strongly suggest that PSH is far less expensive and a great deal more humane. The project included a review of such studies across the nation with a view of identifying best practices.

Authors

• Lydia Voigt, Loyola University New Orleans

• Marisa Friduss, Loyola University

• Nik Jablonski, Loyola University

• Dan Parker, Loyola University

• William Riley, Loyola University

• Vicki Judice, Harry Thompson Center