Housing First - Provincie West-Vlaanderen

Questions about Using a HousingFirst Approach in FranceHousing First services can deliver housing oraccommodation stability for most chronicallyhomeless people, something that has not beenachieved by other homelessness services. Thisachievement makes the Housing First model worthyof consideration in France.The other arguments in favour of Housing Firstcentre on two sets of benefits:❱❱Some evidence that housing stability has a positiveeffect on the well-being of chronically homelesspeople, including improvements in mental health,stabilisation and some reductions in problematicdrug and alcohol use.❱❱Evidence that, whilst improving outcomes forhomeless people, Housing First services cangenerate significant cost savings for otherservices, in particular by reducing the use madeof emergency medical services, homelessnessshelters and the level of contact betweenchronically homeless people and criminal justicesystems.The idea of Housing First has met some resistancein France 129 . There are several reasons to becautious about the introduction of the Housing Firstmodel in France and these include 130 :❱❱The limits of Housing First: While the evidencethat Housing First can deliver housing stability formost chronically homeless people is very strong,some critics have suggested that some models ofHousing First service cannot always work withpeople who present a high risk. There are alsouncertainties about how far some Housing Firstservices are able to bring an end to problematicuse of drugs and alcohol and the extent to whichHousing First services are able to improve socialinclusion for homeless people.❱❱Housing First “is not designed” for France:Housing First is not a French innovation.Housing First was developed in the USA, acountry with a radically different and far morerestricted welfare system than exists in France.The concern here is that foreign service designcannot simply be ‘imported’ into France andexpected to work well 131 .❱❱Housing First cannot address all forms ofhomelessness: Housing First has shown thegreatest success in working with chronicallyhomeless people. This group may not exist inquite the same form or to the same extent inFrance, not least because its welfare system isvery different from that in the USA. In addition,France has forms of homelessness, such ashomelessness amongst migrants with precariouslegal or administrative status, which Housing Firstservices are not explicitly designed for.The remainder of this chapter will discuss each ofthese reasons for caution before concluding thatHousing First has much to offer in the Frenchcontext, albeit taking account of a certain number ofrisks and preconditions.The Limits of Housing FirstHousing First may not be able to deliver an endto problematic drinking and alcohol use for allchronically homeless people or meet all other needsof the chronically homeless people that use theseservices. The founder of PHF, Sam Tsemberis, hashimself noted there are limitations and acceptedthat PHF cannot always work with individuals whorepresent a serious risk or have extremely highneeds 132 .The counterargument is simple. No homelessnessservice can deal with all aspects of homelessness ormeet all the needs of all homeless people. To claimthat Housing First, that any homelessness service,can ‘solve’ all the problems of all homeless peoplewould not be realistic 133 . The advocates of Housing42129 Houard, N. (2011) ‘The French Homelessness Strategy: Reforming Temporary Accommodation, and Access to Housing todeliver ‘Housing First’: Continuum or Clean Break?’ European Journal of Homelessness 5, 2, pp. 83-98.130 Pleace, N. (2011) ‘The Ambiguities, Limits and Risks of Housing First from a European Perspective’ European Journal ofHomelessness 5, 2, pp. 113-127.131 Johnsen, S. and Teixeira, L. (2010) op cit.132 Tsemberis, S. (2010a) op cit.133 Busch-Geertsema, V. (2005) op cit.