Will Stone

DESC did open the building in 2005, and they moved in 75 of the most disabled people living on the streets of Seattle with alcoholism. And then an academic study came out a few years later.

DESC did open the building in 2005, and they moved in 75 of the most disabled people living on the streets of Seattle with alcoholism. And then an academic study came out a few years later.

This study showed that the first wave of people who moved into the building stayed housed there and that housing them ended up being cheaper than just letting them cycle through emergency rooms and sobering centers and jails. And it showed that the people who moved in ended up drinking a little less on average once they were inside. Now, these results were pretty modest.

This study showed that the first wave of people who moved into the building stayed housed there and that housing them ended up being cheaper than just letting them cycle through emergency rooms and sobering centers and jails. And it showed that the people who moved in ended up drinking a little less on average once they were inside. Now, these results were pretty modest.

This study showed that the first wave of people who moved into the building stayed housed there and that housing them ended up being cheaper than just letting them cycle through emergency rooms and sobering centers and jails. And it showed that the people who moved in ended up drinking a little less on average once they were inside. Now, these results were pretty modest.

They went from drinking something like 16 drinks a day to 11 on average. But this fear that people had that this environment was going to enable people and their alcoholism was going to get worse, it just wasn't true. In fact, the opposite was true. These results got a lot of attention and helped build hype for Housing First across America.

They went from drinking something like 16 drinks a day to 11 on average. But this fear that people had that this environment was going to enable people and their alcoholism was going to get worse, it just wasn't true. In fact, the opposite was true. These results got a lot of attention and helped build hype for Housing First across America.

They went from drinking something like 16 drinks a day to 11 on average. But this fear that people had that this environment was going to enable people and their alcoholism was going to get worse, it just wasn't true. In fact, the opposite was true. These results got a lot of attention and helped build hype for Housing First across America.

And results like this have been replicated again and again for decades now. It's worth saying, too, that 1811 East Lake is still going on here in Seattle. It still has 75 units. And 20 years later, it's still doing essentially the same thing.

And results like this have been replicated again and again for decades now. It's worth saying, too, that 1811 East Lake is still going on here in Seattle. It still has 75 units. And 20 years later, it's still doing essentially the same thing.

And results like this have been replicated again and again for decades now. It's worth saying, too, that 1811 East Lake is still going on here in Seattle. It still has 75 units. And 20 years later, it's still doing essentially the same thing.

When Housing First was first invented, it was really for families. a subpopulation of the homeless population. It was for the most disabled people living on the streets with serious mental illness, with serious substance use disorders. And those things sort of happen over time, right? When someone becomes homeless and then they stay on the those disabilities tend to compound over time.

When Housing First was first invented, it was really for families. a subpopulation of the homeless population. It was for the most disabled people living on the streets with serious mental illness, with serious substance use disorders. And those things sort of happen over time, right? When someone becomes homeless and then they stay on the those disabilities tend to compound over time.

When Housing First was first invented, it was really for families. a subpopulation of the homeless population. It was for the most disabled people living on the streets with serious mental illness, with serious substance use disorders. And those things sort of happen over time, right? When someone becomes homeless and then they stay on the those disabilities tend to compound over time.

So Housing First is like throwing them a lifesaver and giving them something to grab onto, some foundation upon which to do the really intense, lifelong work of rebuilding. But a little over a decade ago,

So Housing First is like throwing them a lifesaver and giving them something to grab onto, some foundation upon which to do the really intense, lifelong work of rebuilding. But a little over a decade ago,

So Housing First is like throwing them a lifesaver and giving them something to grab onto, some foundation upon which to do the really intense, lifelong work of rebuilding. But a little over a decade ago,

This definition of housing first started to expand and the federal government started to really incentivize housing first practices for all sorts of organizations that were trying to address homelessness. And so we saw more and more people fall under the Housing First umbrella. And this is where some of the questions start to emerge.

This definition of housing first started to expand and the federal government started to really incentivize housing first practices for all sorts of organizations that were trying to address homelessness. And so we saw more and more people fall under the Housing First umbrella. And this is where some of the questions start to emerge.

This definition of housing first started to expand and the federal government started to really incentivize housing first practices for all sorts of organizations that were trying to address homelessness. And so we saw more and more people fall under the Housing First umbrella. And this is where some of the questions start to emerge.