Housing the Homeless Saves Taxpayers Money

Housing the Homeless Saves Taxpayers Money, (Another) Study Shows

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Housing the Homeless Saves Taxpayers Money, (Another) Study Shows

Eric Justian | Thursday March 27th, 2014 | 0 CommentsinShare9

A new analysis from Charlotte, N.C. once again shows what we’ve learned from many other case studies: It costs taxpayers less money to house the homeless than it does to leave them to the elements………

…….. The remaining housing cost per person, per year is about $14,000 — which Moore Place pays for through Federal and local grants…….

……. The population at Moore Place saw a 78 percent drop in arrests and 84 percent fewer days in jail compared to living on the streets. That’s fewer people in expensive prisons, less police work, a reduction of caseload for the courts, and the aversion of a whole range of taxpayer costs that occur when people run afoul of the law. More savings come from fewer emergency room visits. Residents of Moore Place also collectively made 447 fewer emergency room visits and spent 372 fewer nights in the hospital than they would have otherwise. The emergency room tends to be the go-to source for medical attention for homeless populations — a very pricey medical option…..

…..Turns out that having a place to stay reduces the likelihood that a person will find themselves sustaining injury or illness and getting into trouble with the law…..

…….. potentially safer streets, maybe less waiting at the emergency room, and more human dignity — for a single 85-unit building. The initiative was such a success that the city council of Charlotte approved $1 million in funding to increase Moore Place to 120 units……

…….. It’s estimated that each homeless person on the street costs taxpayers $43,240. By contrast it costs just $16,813, on average, to house that same person….