Philosophy

OUR VIEW OF HOMELESSNESS

Heading Home’s mission is to “end homelessness.” Ultimately, the cause of homelessness is extreme poverty. People who become homeless come from the ranks of the very poor (defined as a third of median income or below), for whom housing costs have far surpassed income. Poverty in combination with disabilities such as mental illness, medical conditions and substance addictions leave people particularly vulnerable to homelessness. It is important to stress that this is so only in the context of the severe lack of housing that is affordable to the poorest of the poor. These conditions do not, in themselves, cause homelessness.

The way to end homelessness is to expand the availability of housing that is affordable to people living on very low incomes. Many people that are homeless also need a range of services to escape homelessness. Included among these are mental health and addictions treatment, primary medical care, education, training and employment. Without access to housing however, these services will not end homelessness. Furthermore, there is evidence that services are more effective after housing has been secured. We focus, therefore, on providing housing in conjunction with intensive support services, and this combination has been successful.