When an unhoused individual needs permanent supportive housing, a temporary refuge, a safe haven from an unsafe relationship, or simply a space that’s within ones means, the solution is the same: they need a home. This simple idea when put into practice is called the Housing First model, and it’s now considered a best practice when it comes to addressing homelessness.
Shawn Morrissey, a senior director at Union Station Homeless Services, wrote an Op-Ed in Colorado Boulevard detailing his experience from being unhoused, to receiving homeless services and support, and to now directing Advocacy and Community Engagement at the San Gabriel Valley’s principal homeless services center. Morrissey writes about the history of pathologizing homelessness and critiques our culture’s need to decide if the poor are really deserving or not.
As someone who has first hand experience working within systems that address homelessness, I found myself saying “AMEN!” every other sentence of this Op-Ed. Click below to see that the Housing First model has led Morrissey to see a 97% success rate!
-Randi Bergsma, MHCH Project Coordinator
Making Housing and Community Happen 
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