# Houston solving homelessness? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2022, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-solving-homelessness/966233 "2022-06-15T11:45:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-solving-homelessness/966233/1 "2022-06-15T11:45:26Z")
I’d be interested in your opinion or experiences regarding the reported success of Houston in resheltering the homeless. Is it described accurately? Is there local resistance? What do you think about it? > **[How Houston Moved 25,000 People From the Streets Into Homes of Their Own](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/14/headway/houston-homeless-people.html)** > > The nation’s fourth-largest city hasn’t solved homelessness, but its remarkable progress can suggest a way forward. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-solving-homelessness/966233/2 "2022-06-15T13:54:33Z")
Any Texan Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-solving-homelessness/966233/3 "2022-06-15T14:16:18Z")
A lot of it rings true. Not sure how much the average Houstonian really notices, though. I’d guess it’s “out of sight, out of mind”, which tends to be true no matter where you live. And note that even the article says ‘success’ is a relative thing - for all the people who aren’t on the streets anymore, there are still thousands more who still are. And there are still the issue of rapidly rising rents/real estate prices and limited availability of affordable housing in the core of the city even before prices went up. I’d also argue the numbers. I noticed early in the article it used the phrasing ‘deemed homeless’ which leaves a lot of wiggle room - as the article itself notes. What they’ve done is still important but from just reading the headline or a summary, it can be easy to miss the nuance. Also, this seems to be a similar take to what has been attempted in [Utah](https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2021/11/16/utahs-housing-first-model/), with similar results. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-solving-homelessness/966233/4 "2022-06-15T18:40:07Z")
Homeless people would have an added incentive to get out of that Houston summer weather! ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-solving-homelessness/966233/5 "2022-06-16T03:00:25Z")
According to the OP’s link, what Houston’s pursuing is the same sort of “housing first” approach that [was mentioned in Finland’s policies in this concurrent “Homeless Encampments” thread.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-encampments/965527/92) Get homeless people into a secure and stable living space first, and then address the problems (joblessness, substance abuse, etc.) that have made it difficult for them to afford housing on their own. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-solving-homelessness/966233/6 "2022-06-16T19:09:40Z")
I worked in a library many years ago. There was an organization providing housing for the homeless, and we had a real problem giving them library cards. I wonder if other business would be reluctant to employ them, as our management was reluctant to let them check out books.