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Grant for Skid Row to Develop Housing With Health Care and Employment Services

Posted on: Friday, 17 February 2006, 15:00 CST

California has the highest rate of homelessness in the nation. The lack of affordable housing is a primary cause, but for the chronically homeless, the problem is more complex. This population also suffers from chronic health conditions, including mental illness, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS. To help address this issue, The California Endowment has awarded a $2 million grant to develop 900 housing units that will also provide health and human services, the statewide foundation announced today.

Sixty percent of the $2 million is targeted for what is called "supportive housing" on skid row in Los Angeles, and the remaining 40 percent for the San Francisco Bay Area counties. The goal is 900 housing units in these regions by 2008.

"This kind of comprehensive, wrap-around service is what works," said Alonzo Plough, vice president for Program, Planning and Evaluation at The California Endowment. "It's just not good for the civic life of a metropolitan area like LA to have a skid row."

The $2 million grant, in part, will aid in a critical aspect of the undertaking, which is to generate funding from federal, state and local governments to develop housing, and staff property management and health care, said Jonathan Hunter, California program director for Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), which received the grant. This kind of full-service housing has also proven to be cost-effective in addressing homelessness, Hunter added. Other foundations committing significant funding to help address the homeless include the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Weingart Foundation.

The homeless problem in Los Angeles and the Bay Area are particularly acute. Of LA County's 90,000 homeless, more than 40 percent are chronically so; and that represents a higher number than the homeless in most states.

Supportive housing's success, which has gained traction over the last 10 years, has been attributed to providing access to health, mental health and employment services to help individuals and families maintain optimal health and stable housing.

"For any of us, think about how unstable your life is if you don't have a place to live," said Plough, who had spearheaded supportive housing in Seattle as health director before coming to The California Endowment. "You can't develop effective treatment for the chronically homeless unless they are stable in housing first. You know you have a broken system if you are spending large amounts of money on county health workers and nurses looking under bridges to treat them."

The comprehensive model has proven successful in Seattle and New York, and these positive reports have generated interest and support from both the public and private sectors, said Hunter of CSH.

According to an independent study for Los Angeles, the cost per day per person in a supportive housing is $30.10. The amount rises to $37.50 for shelters; $63.69 for jails; $84.74 for prisons; $607 for mental hospitals and $1,274.05 for hospitals.

More than half of the jail population is incarcerated for substance abuse or mental health problems, according to experts.

The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, The Endowment has regional offices in San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and San Diego, with program staff working throughout the state. The Endowment makes grants to organizations and institutions that directly benefit the health and well-being of the people of California. To date, The Endowment has awarded more than 7,500 grants across California totaling approximately $1.5 billion. For more information, visit The Endowment's Web site at www.calendow.org.

Source: Business Wire

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