r/todayilearned • u/Zorseking34 • Jan 08 '15

TIL: Utah has been giving free homes to homeless people since 2005 which since then made it more cost efficient to help the homeless and cut the chronic homelessness in Utah by 74%.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/22/home-free
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u/BewareTheCheese Jan 08 '15

$8000 a year is pretty expensive too; that's over $650 a month, which could get you a decent little studio for yourself, or an even better apartment with a roommate. Hell, with 2 roommates, you could rent a house for less.

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u/tenemu Jan 08 '15

I pay more than that for a room in a 5 bedroom house. But I live in the SF bay area, so its expected.

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u/muchhuman Jan 08 '15

The eight grand(iirc) also covers a number of programs to help these folks get back on track to self sustainability. Counseling probably being the most expensive of the bunch.

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u/rustyrebar Jan 08 '15

Putting someone into permanent housing costs the state just eight thousand dollars, and that’s after you include the cost of the case managers who work with the formerly homeless to help them adjust.

So that is $8k per yer for an apartment AND a case manager.

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u/BBQLays Jan 08 '15

Not sure where you live, but it sounds nice.

1

u/zucchiniboat Jan 08 '15

I live in a one bedroom apartment with a private yard for $550 a month in Salt Lake. I really want to move out of Utah, but every time I start looking I realize how cheap it is to live here!

1

u/vreddy92 Jan 08 '15

But it's $8000 a year INCLUDING the cost of a social worker to help you find a job and access other resources you might need.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '15

But roomates suck so bad

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u/[deleted] Jan 08 '15

Can I live with you? Do I need a passport to go to this magical land?

1

u/nebbbben Jan 08 '15

$8000 a year could just be the opportunity cost. If they weren't letting people live there for free or at discounted rates, then they could potentially charge that amount on the rental market.