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Homeless program saves taxpayers money

June 8, 2012

A program to provide permanent housing to some of Los Angeles County’s most hard-core homeless more than paid for itself, yielding a net savings of $238,700. [LATimes]

Project 50 began in late 2007 with the goal of finding and housing the 50 most vulnerable, chronically homeless living on the streets of skid row in downtown Los Angeles. Since then, the number of participants has grown to 133.

The chronically homeless – those who are either physically disabled, mentally ill, mentally challenged, elderly or deep in the throes of alcoholism – have a high cost to counties because of medical, shelter and incarceration expenses.

Over a two year period, the program cost Los Angeles County $3.045 million but generated $3.284 million in estimated savings, the LA Times said.

Project 50 was controversial because it did not require people to get sober before they were housed. But advocates of the so-called housing-first approach say a permanent roof provides the stability chronically homeless people need to get their lives back on track, the LA Times said.

In San Luis Obispo County, the 10 year plan to eliminate homelessness focuses on those who are likely to become productive members of society and not on the chronically homeless.  Instead of providing housing, which helps keep the mentally ill, felons and alcoholics off the streets, the program is focused on having homeless conform to strict regulations, including making program administrators payees of their government subsidy checks with the funds to be used later to pay for housing.

On June 1, the Prado Day Center, which provides services such as showers and lunches to the homeless, began barring those who sleep in their vehicles at night along Prado Road, many of whom are chronically homeless.

In Los Angeles County, project 50 was championed by Supervisor Yaroslavsky.

“My notion was that front-end investment in social services and stable housing would not only prove to be vastly more humane, but less costly for the public treasury,” Yaroslavsky said to the LA Times. “This audit makes the case for accelerating the county’s efforts to house the chronically homeless and provide them with the critical social services they need.”


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When did ANY government save ANYBODY a penny?


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Gimlet,


Surely you jest? One answer is IRS deductions. 2+2=4.


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The genisus of this excellent money saving program in Los Angeles was a lawsuit brought against the City seeking to injoin a City ordinance making it a crime to sleep, sit, or stand in public places. The suit was based on this being an unconsitutional ordinance when there were insufficient places for the homeless to sleep other than in public places.

The Federal Court of Appeal ordered the District Court to issue the injunction and Los Angeles realized that more humane treatment of the folks on skid row would be cheaper. As the program developed the simple act of extending respect to their down and out neighbors turned out to have better results finanically and socially for all City residents.


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Cicero,


It just seems like the Christian thing to do, doesn’t it? If Jesus preached that the Christians are to take care of the poor, and many Christians don’t, then they exhibit that they know more than Jesus the Christ which is their leader in the faith.


Isn’t it comical for a Christian to know more than Jesus? They are a joke in the eyes of the Christian God, and they will get their just-rewards on Judgment Day, praise!


Now, let the pseudo, wannabe, and cultural Christians hit the “dislike button” to this post to make it known that they don’t like to actually follow the bible teachings about Jesus, therefore, being hypocritical to His word, praise!


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So let me get this straight, if you have your mandatory (sole source) garbage cans in plain site at your own home you will be ticketed for not hiding them. That’s a pip, taxes and scrutiny aren’t enough by local governments and do gooder committees. Just more and more regulations.OK, all in the guise of property value stabilization and anti-neighborhood blight. Not bad, chip in and pay your neighbors property taxes or just take them in and then pop off. It gets tiring doing things some can do for themselves, doesn’t it. Oh, crap I almost lost my point. When is somebody going to ticket and fine the city of San Luis Obispo for not hiding their disenfranchised humans behind a fence or lean to…its called Prado day center. They’re cultivating this mass migration. They crap and urinate in the creeks, alleys, and any where they want or can. They accost, bark and even bite, yet the City isn’t required a leash law and some how gets a pass on their most favored species. Fine the city, give the people giving and getting aid the bill, yes, the bill. Just like the rest of its citizens get a bill. Unless you get a bill, you live outside of your means and then you shouldn’t snivel. Live like a garbage can out in plain site? These are people and not garbage cans. I know, without a skin in the game they don’t have the same responsibilities as its citizens they accost. Have I missed the days that they volunteer to clean up the creeks and public restrooms or shelters? In between getting the cops taking them to the local hospitals due chest pains and or fake head injuries, mandatory delivery to the hospital and then a check up. Its a scam and they know it. Just down on my luck man. They don’t save any money.


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