TRANSITIONAL HOUSING

While many programs are good about immediate basic needs, emergency shelters and helping people to turn their lives around, many programs fail at the transitional housing level. By that someone has obtained a job, is out of the shelter but like life happens to many they can't afford the deposits for the utilities, an unexpected medical bill derails them and or they get no housing assistance with lack of rental history. Other offer programs but they are limited. Ideally a program should provide up to a year of transitional housing (if housing people initially in the shelter) or up to 18 months if doing housing first.  Transitional housing at its core is designed to be better than the streets to give someone a fighting chance but low enough that people want out and to better themselves. With that 12-18 month range it allows most people to get most of their issues under control, establish rent history and start saving up the deposits at their next and better apartment. Also many employers require a real residential address when applying for a job and the transitional housing allows the person to get back into the workforce. There are various models available. One is rental and utility assistance. Another is a tiny home or 300-400 sq feet effiency apartment. Another idea is a city can go thru its abandoned property list, seize those houses, renovate them and then turn it into a program. Transitional housing is key to stability, gets people off the streets, allows them to get jobs and start to manage their medical conditions with better than street living conditions and must be included in any proposal for ending homelessness.