The Importance of Stable Housing for the Homeless

Many people work with realtors to help them find the perfect house for their needs, yet there are thousands of others who aren’t fortunate enough to have a place call home — parks, streets and shelters are where they reside. All they want is a safe place together lay their head, so they can wake up the next morning to continue their fight for a better life.

Along with this fight comes challenges that most of them cannot get help to conquer, like failing health and substance abuse. Without stable housing, hope dwindles leading them farther down the path of ill health.

PolicyMic.com recently released an article discussing the issue of poverty, homelessness and how helping these people can make everyone’s lives better. In the article, 52-year-old Willie Risher discusses this struggle that he knows all too well.

At the age of 9, he started to drink and smoke marijuana. By ninth grade, he wasn’t going to school anymore. Jobs didn’t come easy to him, even after taking mechanic classes. Without stable employment or housing, he turned to crack cocaine to numb the pain of his life.

For 20 years, he walked the streets going from shelter to shelter and from jail cell to jail cell. At a point where Risher didn’t think he was ever going to get out of his tormented life, a social worker approached him with an offer he couldn’t refuse. As long as he agreed to some guidelines, he would be able to live in an apartment. This is something he had not been able to do for decades. It wasn’t too long before he was able to get his life back together again. He attended appointments with therapists and employment specialists, and he shortly after found a job. It was then that his addiction faded.

The program Risher is part of is called Common Ground, which is a nonprofit organization in New York. They have a philosophy that believes housing is one of the most important aspects to living, especially for the homeless. Once people have stable housing, they are more likely to improve the quality of their lives. They are able to keep appointments with medical professionals and seek training or assistance for employment, which puts them in a better place.

What Research Reveals About Stable Housing and Health

According to Johns Hopkins Center to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities, research has shown that stable housing can help people suffering from chronic diseases follow through with medical care more frequently by being able to store their medications, eat a healthy diet and get a good night’s sleep. Those who are homeless may find it impossible to make it to medical appointments or they end up forgetting about them. They lose their medications or have them stolen. They don’t have access to a kitchen to prepare healthy meals. They also don’t have a bed to sleep in at night, which causes them to lose sleep every night. Chronic sleep problems have been shown to lead to and exacerbate health problems.  All of this stress just compounds these factors, which can lead to even worse health outcomes due to the fact that anxiety can lead to high blood pressure and other health-related conditions.

Children’s HealthWatch, a nonpartisan pediatric research center, found that children in families that have moved two or more times in the past year were 59 percent more likely to be hospitalized. Their research shows that when families do not have the basic living necessities, they are more likely to sacrifice their health by not seeing a doctor for regular checkups or when feeling ill. They may not buy nutritious foods, and it has been even seen that these children were suffering from poor nutrition and had an elevated risk of poor health, developmental delays and hospitalization.

Families who are living in subsidized housing are more likely to be a healthy weight and are classified as “well” when compared to those that are on a waiting list for such housing. Programs that help disadvantaged families procure housing are important for all states. This is why many organizations have stepped up to the plate to help as many people as possible find the housing they need to get their life back on track.

Organizations to Help the Fight Against Homelessness

With the obvious need for people to have stable housing, organizations are doing everything they can to help. In 2014, 3.5 million people were homeless. Thirty five percent of those people were parents and 25 percent of them were under the age of 18. With such a huge population of homeless people living in the U.S., organizations can’t help everyone on their own.

NationalHomeless.org – The National Coalition for the Homeless offers help in many ways. They accept monetary donations, so they can pay for housing for people who can’t afford it. They also accept items that people need for their home such as pots and pans, utensils, beds, clothes and other necessary belongings. They welcome advocates and speakers who want to get the word out about their organization. The more people who know the seriousness of homelessness in America, the better they are able to help them.

StandUp for Kids – This organization helps homeless youth. You can help with street outreach. By reaching out to youth on the streets, you may be able to help them with their current situation. You can also donate items and money to the drop-In centers located across the United States. These places provide a hot meal, showers and computers to help them with school and finding a job. These drop-In centers also have counselors and nurses available. 

Habitat for Humanity – Habitat for Humanity focuses on making it possible for people to live and raise their families in a stable home environment. They build and renovate homes to make them safe. You can help by donating money, household items or your time. Habitat for Humanity is always in need of furniture, housewares and other items you find in your home. They also need money to pay for the lumber and other items to build or renovate homes. Since the building of homes is done by volunteers, they always need people with home improvement and building skills.

hopelink – This organization helps people find housing and provide assistance in the form of rent, mortgage or energy astatine to those already in a home. They need volunteers to help provide GED instruction, run the food bank and more. They also accept monetary donations to help them fund services to help their clients.

Helping People Help Themselves

If you’ve ever wondered how you can make a difference in someone’s life, this is it. Millions of people do not have a home right now, and you can be the person to help them acquire a house that will set them up to have a safer, healthier life. Read more about the organizations above or search your community for programs that help the homeless. Your help, no matter how small, can make a big difference.