How bad is austerity? Vancouver Gave Its Homeless $5,800. It Changed Their Lives. Finland just ended homelessness (hint: it's cheaper)

Vancouver Gave Its Homeless $5,800. It Changed Their Lives.

A single infusion of cash helped recipients pay their rent, get to work — and put their lives back on track. […] Though the formal research has yet to be published, the early results are staggering. Half of the cash recipients moved into stable housing one month after they received the money, compared to 25 percent of the control group. ‘That was phenomenal,’ says Zhao. Almost 70 percent of them were food secure in one month. Like Ray, they spent most of the money on the essentials — food, shelter, bills. On average, the cash recipients spent a total of three fewer months in a shelter than those in the control group, whose days spent homeless increased. After one year, cash recipients reduced their spending on alcohol, drugs and cigarettes by an average of almost 40 percent, challenging ‘the widespread misperception that people in poverty will misuse cash funds,’ the report stated. At the end of the year-long study, participants had an average of $1,000 still left in the bank.”

 [reasonstobecheerful, via Avedon’s Sideshow 1-19-21] 

Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need

[Scoop.me, via The Big Picture]

In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. The reason: The country applies the ‘Housing First’ concept. Those affected by homelessness receive a small apartment and counselling — without any preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected thus make their way back into a stable life. And: All this is cheaper than accepting homelessness.