February 15, 2019

Dear Editor,

My name is Heather Coppley and I am a senior attending NC State University studying Biology. I am currently studying Hunger and Homelessness at NC State, the stigmas and reality of it, and possible strategies to prevent it and create sustainable resources for people combatting homelessness.  In this letter I would like to propose new strategies, improvement and possible continuation of old strategies, and insight as to how we can improve homelessness within the Raleigh area. My research will be based upon different 10-year plans to end homelessness from different areas of the country, knowledge from the classroom and online research.

As with most things, there can be more power and influence in prevention of an issue than dealing with the issue at hand. For example, in some cases it is more cost-efficient to help someone with their current housing needs (helping pay for rent, seeking out resources for rent, etc.) than to pay for someone to live in some type of homeless transition shelter. According to an online national magazine, “Governing,” on average, “It costs a shelter $2,100 a month per person or $17,500 to $23,600 a year per person just to feed and house the homeless”. These numbers are significantly more than what a typical and yearly rent payment would be for someone of lower income, thus, helping argue that prevention programs are of importance. I believe the following programs to be important, and they should be implemented within our community to decrease this issue:

• Rapid Re-Housing
• Eviction Prevention
• Stabilization Services
• Education

Rapid re-housing programs would allow for an individual to work with a social worker who would provide case management and other support. This would involve locating a new home/apartment for someone who might be facing imminent eviction or even homelessness. To reduce homelessness, measures such as eviction prevention should be taken. This can be supported through the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), which may include relocation into more affordable housing. Stabilizing services would help cover activities that are necessary for retaining suitable permanent housing. Case management will work with clients on assessing any house barriers they might have and creating an action plan. The goal of this service is to help those who might be struggling and aid in overcoming barriers to prevent homelessness. Such services can be seen through lawyers offering to do pro-bono work and local churches willing to provide resources or referrals. While education can take root in many scopes, in light of prevention, I believe it to be most effective if education of affordable housing was taught throughout community centers, schools and even workplaces that might have a higher population of lower income individuals.

While prevention is important, realistically we know that we cannot prevent all cases of homelessness and should therefore propose plans of action for engagement. Such plans can take the forms of developing safe havens, creating a 24/7 housing crisis response plan, phasing out shelters to service enhanced and short-term housing that links people to permanent housing. Some of the things I found in Raleigh’s old 10-year plan (beginning in 2005) related to engagement were: to increase street outreach (involving social workers and volunteers to proactively try and find unsheltered residents and refer them to short term housing such as emergency shelters and transitional housing centers); education or classes on homelessness among local universities (in order to create a better understanding of homelessness); and resources to have a positive effect on the community, utilizing Raleigh businesses and connections to contribute to hiring people experiencing homelessness (e.g. Carrol’s kitchen), involvement from the Raleigh Police Department to create a better knowledge on homelessness and using them as a resource to educate homeless on alternative resources, and being more intentional about providing safe spaces for women and children. I believe all these previously suggested ideas of maintaining engagement have improved homelessness in the past and should be continued. Among these, I also believe that more outreach centers should be set up to provide transportation for employment and education to have better chances of receiving employment. Lack of transportation and lack of education are often gaps that inhibit people combatting homelessness from being able to obtain a job and get back up on their feet.

While Raleigh’s 10-year plan to end homelessness ceased in 2015, I still believe there is a great need of resources and finances in order to continually improve the lives within our community. With more services that provide prevention, engagement, housing, employment, and education we can see a more successful community as a whole.

Thank you for taking the time to read my proposal and insights on homelessness within our community.

Best Always,

Heather Coppley