On January 29th at City Hall, the Edmonton Committee to End Homelessness officially released its 10-year plan to eliminate chronic homelessness in Edmonton.

While this goal is ambitious, it is achievable. The committee's members, including Dave Hancock, recognized that "managing" homelessness through shelters and other short-term emergency services is not as cost-effective as an approach of focused intervention, housing and support services, and prevention programs. These short-term measures do not solve the problem of homelessness, but simply help manage it.

The key element of the plan is that chronically homeless people need Housing First, the stability of a safe, permanent home before they can start tackling other problems. This is the opposite of the old way of thinking - which is that shelters, addiction recovery, mental health treatment or finding a job are necessary stepping stones that ready clients for permanent housing.

The 10-year plan calls for getting people into housing and then giving them the wrap-around services and support to help them keep their homes and get started on dealing with their other problems. It will take a significant upfront investment, but it is an investment that will pay dividends, both financially and in terms of human costs.

For full details on the announcement, and to read the plan, visit http://www.endedmontonhomelessness.com/