It benefits everyone to house the homeless
Though many people are against providing free services to the homeless because they see them as an undeserved and unearned handout, the problems of the homeless don’t only effect the homeless. When a homeless person has to use the emergency room for medical care the cost of their visit is passed on to tax payers. The dangers of living on the streets with inadequate food and in all types of weather also mean that homeless people frequently visit the emergency room. They also show up with severs problems because they rarely get preventative care. Not helping the homeless actually can financially hurt a community.
A new post by the From Poverty To Opportunity Campaign outlines the findings from a new study by the Aids Foundation of Chicago that shows, again, that providing housing and intensive case management to the homeless drastically reduces their use of emergency rooms and therefore their financial cost to the community.
The Campaign quotes the study as saying:
Remarkably, homeless people who were housed were admitted to the hospital one-third fewer times than people in the control group. They also spent one-third fewer days in the hospital and went to the emergency room one-fourth fewer times.
For every 100 homeless adults offered the program intervention, there would be 49 fewer hospitalizations, 273 less days spent in the hospital, and 116 fewer emergency department visits.
Back in April I wrote about two similar studies from the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty and the Journal of the American Medical Association that found the same community benefits to housing the homeless.
Every politician has spent the summer talking about the high costs of health care in America and there are many proposals to help lower those costs. One way is to reduce the number of emergency room visits by homeless people because those visits are paid for by those who have insurance. Multiple studies by different organizations all around the country have shown that providing housing and intensive case management can reduce the burden that the homeless impose on the health care system while drastically improving the health of the homeless.
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anelya | March 10th, 2010 at 11:21 am #
“Необходимо админам придумывать какой-то способ, не дающий сразу же после регистрации печатать в форумы и комменнты. Иль что-нить подобное.”
edward | July 29th, 2010 at 4:29 pm #
Unemployment and Homelessness have a smiling face
What a time to leave the Army. After a little over twenty years of service to my country and getting to see parts of the world that where just totally amazing, I decided to take the leap and enter the civilian world not truly knowing what I might encounter. I had some money set aside just in case times might get a bit rocky and rocky it became. Like many other Americans I was finally feeling the sting of such a struggling economy. I was now shopping according to the lowest priced items staring at me from the shelf. Name brands didn’t matter anymore but just having food to feed a family of five. With two children in high school and a wife with hypoactive thyroid, I was most certainly feeling a big pinch from my wallet.
After about four months of continuous and relentless job searching and submitting what seemed to be endless resumes, there just where not any bites on my line. Times where becoming much harder for us as a family but I still am always greeted by smiling faces. Our air conditioner was out for two weeks during what appears to be an everlasting heat wave. Wet towels in the freezer where refreshing as we all sit in the living room discussing what our future may hold as towels are wrapped around our heads. Even with a room temperature of 89 degrees and wet towels I see smiling faces.
The rent is due at the end of the month as are utility bills. We will pay our rent and utilities this month as my retirement pay allows this but no more. Not being able to qualify for unemployment benefits, food will be a bit scarce this month. There is also the car note and insurance. A birthday party will be put on hold as well as back to school shopping. The dog has an eye infection and needs to see the vet and I see smiling faces and a dog’s endless love.
The Army has been our home for twenty years and provided all that we needed to include government quarters which we all grew to love and just couldn’t wait to get to our next duty station to see our next home and all its nooks and crannies. We have never owned a home as the Army has been our home. Next month about mid midway through, we will leave this place we called home for almost three years and become homeless. Having a bad credit score does not allow us to purchase a home not even a VA loan. Having finally called VA, I was informed that I must enroll to receive any type of benefits.VA Reps only assist with medical paperwork as I was informed. One benefit we shall use is putting our furniture in storage. With such an uncertain future like many other Americans we discussed the issues as a family and I see smiling faces and this time small tears and a waggling tail.
Where we are headed is still unknown to all of us. Maybe we will head to the west coast or might try the South after all we are big NASCAR fans but one thing is for certain, even though we have little money and no job prospects and lots of unknowns, I still see smiling faces and my tears.