15 July 2011 Volume: 21 Issue: 13 North Korea's ... - Eureka Street

Volume 21 Issue: 1315 July 2011Research in the US suggests that, while it’s important to offer treatment and otherassistance, supportive relationships are more effective when people enter into themvoluntarily.This is why Johnson and Chamberlain’s ‘housing first’ approach works. Not only doespermanent housing provide a more stable environment in which people can receive help, butit offers people a greater sense of freedom, control and privacy. And the evidence suggeststhat this can often help people get on top of such problems as mental illness, drug abuse andproblem drinking.However, Johnson and Chamberlain’s approach also challenges the public’s sense of what’sfair. Many people want governments to demand responsible behaviour before handing outbenefits like housing or cash. There’s a strong suspicion that unconditional benefits makeproblems worse.And that may be true, in some cases. But in the case of homelessness among people with amental illness the evidence suggests that relaxing conditionality leads to better outcomes.©2011 EurekaStreet.com.au 32