What does it mean to provide homes?

• In 2008, the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (MCCH) repurposed a former office building. The goal was to provide supportive housing for the homeless, demanding a mere 30% of income from its residents. The building itself was small in comparison to the landscape and was not likely to be repurposed as another office, so they were able to install 32 new and affordable units. The cost-effective build would not have been possible if they had to buy vacant land and construct from there.

• Politicians are thinking more about the prospect of allowing the homeless into vacant housing units to help them become more stable to get a job and get themselves re-situated.
• The homeless would pay a portion of their income and be able to keep the homes until they were able to purchase them in full or move to an alternative location.
• They would be allowed to stay in the housing as long as they had or were looking for a job.
• The cost to repurpose buildings rather than construct new ones for the homeless is 5x less.
• Short term impact is immediate relief to the citizens on the streets and allowing a significant improvement of crime and homelessness rates in the near future.
• Long term, if the programs become large enough, they will be able to solve homelessness and help the economy with the decrease in unemployment.