Under this plan, the city will direct over 80% of the federal funds to develop permanent supportive housing, which is aimed at disabled and chronically homeless people.
According to the City of Wilmington, the chronically homeless population has doubled in the past ten years, while the total homeless population decreased by 26%.
At Monday night’s State of Homelessness forum, Good Shepherd Center’s Liz Carbone said those statistics show good progress, but added, "we just need more resources, more funding, and more community support behind those programs and services."
Permanent supportive housing is aimed at the chronically homeless population. It’s affordable housing that includes intensive case management services for those in need, and is considered by many national advocacy organizations to be an effective, evidence-based approach. The housing-first model is alsorecommended by the independent panel of public health and prevention experts appointed by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; that panel also found that housing-first approaches have a net economic benefit, saving $1.44 for every dollar invested.
Nonprofits in the area are also looking to address this need: Good Shepherd Center is raising $20 million to build or preserve 71 supportive housing units in Wilmington, andEden Village will open with 31 similar units sometime this year.
In the city’s plan, the rest of the funding will go towards supportive services and non-profit capacity building.
According to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the money can be spent on developing affordable housing, rental assistance, supportive services, and developing non-congregate shelters — or shelters where individuals have some level of private personal space.
Staff said the focus on permanent supportive housing came from needs identified by a host of community stakeholders such as the Good Shepherd Center and Cape Fear Homeless Continuum of Care. The aim is to leverage the most impact possible with the funds being a limited one-time resource, according to staff.
Councilmember Luke Waddell was the sole dissenting vote.
He expressed concerns that permanent supportive housing doesn't discourage people with substance use disorders from using drugs.
At the March 7 City Council meeting, he explained that view.
“Housing First sounds great, but it’s antiquated and I think the data shows in no uncertain terms that it doesn’t work," Waddell said.
He cited the high number of homeless people in San Francisco as evidence because the city has invested in permanent supportive housing.
It's worth noting that Housing First policies are relatively new for the federal government. HUD marked the one-year anniversary of its Housing First initiative in September of last year, and does consider it a best practice.
Asked for comment, Waddell offered to provide resources and studies he has gathered related to the subject. WHQR will have more on the debate later this week.
The plan will now be sent to HUD for feedback before the city will develop a request for proposals for service providers.
