New Thinking Leads to a Decrease in Homelessness

Despite a housing-foreclosure crisis and the Great Recession, homelessness in America has declined 17% since 2005 because of a radical change in how states address the problem, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Officials have reversed the old logic of focusing on homeless people’s social problems first and housing needs second; once people are housed, some of their other problems turn out to be easier to resolve. The “housing-first” approach works only if there’s adequate affordable housing, however, so cities like Boston, where the rental market is tight, have seen increases in homelessness.