Homelessness should not be treated as a whole. There are many agencies across the country that assist individuals who are experiencing homelessness. All of these agencies follow certain guidelines. This certain set of rules agencies adhere to was developed by Housing and Urban Development. (HUD). 9 out of 10 times this structure of rules developed by HUD that the agencies follow results in the recycling of people experiencing homelessness. I have personally seen too many times where people experiencing homelessness were given a bus ticket to another city or town. Almost everyone that I have seen depart on the Greyhound has returned within 3 months. I have seen homeless being housed under the housing first model. HUD believes that the number one stressor for someone experiencing homelessness is not having a roof over their head. They believe that housing comes before anything else. When rapid rehousing occurs, the new tenant is handed a set of keys with the first 3 months rent and the deposit paid through HUD grants. Now, the new tenant who is fresh from the streets, has a ton of new unfamiliar responsibilities. He or she also has a few friends that they want to help get off the streets. They invite them over to stay. More times than not after the 3 months there is an eviction served to our new tenant. There possibly could be some property damage from trying to help his or her friends. Legal action would now be in this person's future. And just like when they started off they are now experiencing homelessness again. Only now, it's going to be a lot harder to find housing for them. Each and everyone of us dwells within our own skin. Our bodies basically are our true homes. The Bible even says that our bodies are our holy temples and we shall not destroy them. This is where we are supposed to reside. A constant place where you can feel comfortable, need your imagination, daydream and so much more. Homelessness is unique and different to an individual experiencing it, the same way we are all different and unique to each other. Individualized recovery of a person experiencing homelessness does not cure homelessness. When I started my recovery, it was not with a roof over my head first.To make it make a little more sense to everyone. I want to explain it in the way a chef would explain their cooking techniques.Let's pretend. that "homelessness" is a great big giant ball of raw cookie dough. The chef who is baking the cookies wants to make the cookie dough as delicious and good as it can be. At first the chef puts the entire ball of cookie dough into the oven. The chef might try multiple different temperatures and times to leave the raw dough in the oven to come up with delicious cookie dough that is as good as it can be. No matter how long the chef leaves the cookie dough in the oven. No matter what different temperatures our chef tries to bake the dough. It seems that it will never turn out to be that delicious cookie we are all after.Now let's say the chef takes the time, the compassion, the love and rolls out the cookie dough into something that can be worked with. Our cookie maker then reaches into the cabinet and pulls out an assortment of all different shapes and sizes of cookie cutters. Not only does the cookie maker cut different shapes out of the cookie dough, each shape is now treated a little different from the others. Some of the cookies could use a little extra sugar. Maybe a cookie requires fresh frosting. And the cookie maker of course adds colorful sprinkles to a cookie or two. Other cookies might require omitting an ingredient or two. Malcolm's the time for the cookie maker to bake the cookies. Some of the cookies took a little more time in the oven than others do. The temperature is also important when baking a different kind of cookie. I guarantee if you take that ball of raw cookie dough, give it some time, so compassion and love while carefully treating each cookie individually, you will 100% always have that delicious good cookie 🍪 that we are all after.
The big giant ball of raw cookie dough is the housing first model in my opinion.
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