A New Standard For Homelessness Prevention Programs
Social Justice Policy Brief #144 | By: Caroline Howard | April 4, 2023
Header photo taken from: stjosephsgilroy.org
Policy Summary
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Like many places in the United States, King County, Washington has had a persistent and increasing Homelessness problem for years. As of 2020, 11,751 people were experiencing homelessness in the county, and the number has only continued to grow due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within that number, more than half were unsheltered, meaning that they were forced to sleep in conditions that are not meant for human habitation. To deal with this growing problem, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority has introduced a 5-year plan to end homelessness in the region of the state called the Homes for All plan. This plan would aim to tackle the underlying causes of homelessness by providing long-term stable housing, as well as other services such as job training programs, mental health treatment, and addiction counseling services for people with substance abuse issues.
The plan sets goals to be accomplished over the next 5 years which include building thousands of new affordable housing units, expanding rental assistance programs so people can maintain affordable housing prices, and providing services such as job training, addiction and mental health programs so people can stay housed and become self-sufficient. 23,000 of these new units will be used to help households who are already spending more than 30% of their monthly income on housing, which is considered to be housing burdened by the federal government. These units would be one of the main priorities, so people who are likely to face homelessness in the near future can be in a stable situation. The increase in rental assistance would go towards the King County Housing Choice Voucher program, which helps residents of the county pay a max of 40% of their annual income on housing and utility bills. There would also be another aspect of the plan that would focus more on specific groups like veterans, younger residents, as well people in the LGBTQ+ community.
The total price tag of this program would be roughly $25.5 billion. They plan on raising this money through new taxes, more funding through different federal government programs, and new bonds for people who want to invest in the plan. Kings County plans on implementing a new sales tax of 0.1% which would raise an estimated $50 million annually. They also plan to use the state’s new Real Estate Excise Tax, and at the federal level, gain funds from the Home Investments Partnership Program, and the Community Development Block Grant Program to finance affordable housing development. They also are hoping to garner philanthropic investment to help with other aspects of the plan to fund different services for people experiencing homelessness.
Photo taken from: dca.ga.gov
Project Analysis
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If implemented successfully, the Homes for All plan has the potential to make a significant impact on the homeless population in King County. By creating new affordable housing units and expanding rental assistance programs, the plan would provide more stable, long-term housing solutions for those experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. Homelessness is an ever growing issue in our country as prices for pretty much everything, including housing, are skyrocketing. While we are still in the capitalist system, we must have a multi-faceted approach to ending this issue once and for all, and this plan does just that. By helping to fund mental health treatment, rehabilitation programs for people with substance abuse issues, and funding job training programs that will allow people to gain the skills they need to start a thriving career, this plan understands that homelessness has multiple root causes in our society, and allows people not only to have stable housing, but achieve self-sufficiency through extra services that will allow people to not continue to live with the threat of homelessness weighing over them everyday. Financial stress can cause massive health issues, which leads to people falling down a rabbit hole of despair, developing addiction issues, and eventually leading to homelessness. This new plan will diminish this issue for so many people currently at threat of becoming homeless. This will allow the people of King County to not only survive, but thrive. Plans like this should be the new standard for dealing with homelessness across the country. With funding for affordable housing to get people off the streets to begin with, and then giving them the tools needed to survive on their own, this plan is an example of what can happen when communities come together and decide that the problems in their community need to end, no matter the cost.
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