I just read and want to share an article concerning the estimated 580,000 homeless people living in the United States. Scott Carrier reports on,  "The shockingly simple, surprisingly cost-effective solution that won over a bunch of conservatives in Utah" It is a way to, clean up cities, give the homeless a place to live and save money too. His report, "Room for Improvement" can be found in Mother Jones March + April 2015 magazine.

Housing First began in Utah and spread to California and Colorado. A graph on page 35 compares the cost of caring for people living on the streets and those participating in Housing First. Comparing cost in Detox, Incarceration, Emergency room care, Outpatient care, and Inpatient care in Denver, the research shows the city saved $17,858 per person over 2 years in these costs alone.

Scott Carrier ends his article with: "It's not a matter of whether we know how to fix the problem.  Homelessness is not a disease like cancer or Alzheimer's where we don't yet have a cure.  We have the cure for homelessness-it's housing.  What we lack is political will."

I urge you to read the article and think how we as a society can do something about this curable problem.  "Nearly 1/3 of all homeless live in just 10 cities."  Could the churches in those cities band together and provide that housing? Could the chuches in smaller cities band together and take care of the homeless in their area? There are many challenges in this tangled ball of twine, but it can be solved if we, the people, really want to cure the problem of the homeless.

Read more about the details in Mother Jones March + April 2015 issue  Room for Improvement by Scott Carrier