4856904 Resolution 20-451, "Sense of the Council for Ending Chronic Homelessness Resolution of 2014”

A Resolution

 

20-451 

 

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

April 8, 2014

 

 

To declare the sense of the Council that the District seeks to end chronic homelessness in the District no later than 2020 and that the Mayor shall plan and fund a sufficient number of permanent supportive housing resources to achieve this goal.

                      

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Sense of the Council for Ending Chronic Homelessness Resolution of 2014”.

 

            Sec. 2. The Council finds that:

(1) Chronic homelessness continues to be a critical moral and social problem, one that is costly in terms of dollars and human suffering.  But it is a solvable problem.

(2)  The District is home to approximately 3,000 individuals and families who will experience chronic homelessness between now and 2020.

(3) According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), persons who are chronically homeless have high rates of serious mental illness, substance abuse, and chronic physical illness and a mortality rate that is 4 to 9 times higher than the general population. 

(4) The problem of chronic homelessness creates high costs for the District and other governments as homeless people cycle between the streets, shelters, emergency rooms, and jails. 

(5)  Investing in permanent supportive housing for persons who are chronically homeless will not only improve the health and quality of life for these individuals, but it has also been proven to save governments money.  A HUD report found that the typical cost for supportive housing is only $31 per day, compared to the cost of inpatient hospital treatment ($1,940) per day or a visit to an emergency room ($905).  By comparison, it can cost the Bureau of Prisons nearly $100 per day to house an inmate.

(6)  The National Alliance to End Homelessness reported that Seattle saved nearly $30,000 per person per year in social services by providing housing to homeless people with extensive health problems.

(7)  In April 2010, the District’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (“ICH”) adopted a 5-year strategic plan to end homelessness. The plan included creation of a Permanent Supportive Housing Production Committee of the ICH (“Committee”). Over the past 3 years, the Committee has studied the number of permanent supportive housing units needed to end chronic homelessness and has developed a production plan to achieve that goal by 2020.

(8)  At the current rate, the District would not end chronic homelessness until 2034.  However, the Committee determined that by providing 2,679 additional permanent supportive housing units, the District could end chronic homelessness by 2020.

(9)  Even fewer permanent supportive housing units are needed to end chronic homelessness for veterans, a national goal that President Obama has set and one that Phoenix and Salt Lake City have already achieved. 

 

            Sec. 3. It is the sense of the Council that:

(1)  The District is committed to ending chronic homelessness by no later than 2020.

(2)  To achieve this goal, the District’s ICH must coordinate the investment of sufficient resources to plan and create the 2,679 permanent supportive housing units needed to end chronic homelessness by no later than 2020.

(3)  In addition, the District’s ICH must continue to support other housing and homelessness programs and services to prevent the number of chronically homeless residents in the District from growing and to end all types of homelessness.

 

            Sec. 4.  The Secretary to the Council shall transmit copies of this resolution, upon its adoption, to the Mayor and the ICH.

 

            Sec. 5.  This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.