tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-586914322065730371.post1757585817135970043..comments2023-10-31T08:24:52.483-05:00Comments on CHICAGO ARGUS: Putting pressure on the pols to resolve Illinois state budget (or lack thereof)Gregory Tejedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233009340333100205noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-586914322065730371.post-89835590446850318802015-07-09T13:47:49.284-05:002015-07-09T13:47:49.284-05:00How do you deliver services in an environment like...How do you deliver services in an environment like this? Over the last ten years many people have been involved in building up the capacity of the state to create permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless. the state has multiplied their funding many times to provide dollars for case management. They have done this because supportive housing is a proven remedy for the extreme costs of chronic homelessness. How extreme are these costs? Most people are unaware that allowing people to live on the street costs them money. In fact, the nationwide average cost for keeping a significant percentage of these people on the street is $50,000 per annum. Think of that: doing nothing costs $50,000 a year per person. Why? Because chronically homeless people are chronic users of public services. They are in the emergency room more than others, they are hauled before the court more often than others, they spend nights in jail more often than others, they die younger than others. We are all bearing this cost. The state learned this ten years ago and started pushing for more supportive housing. Supportive housing cuts those expenditures at least in half and often by two-thirds. It also pulls in federal dollars which have been established just for this purpose. The only thing that the state needs to do is pay for the case management. Now in comes the new governor, and what does he cut? Dollars for case managing supportive housing. Millions of dollars of cuts. This has all be explained to him over and over, but great businessman that he is, he would rather pay more to create a new crisis on the street, than continue with a proven strategy that is saving everyone money--not to mention saving lives and improving the quality of life for all of us who live with and around these poor benighted souls who have no place to call home. It seems that becoming "business friendly" requires that we destroy the quality of life of our community. Paul Seldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14522225069442822608noreply@blogger.com