April 14, 2009
New Data from Seattle’s 1811 Eastlake Housing First Initiative Demonstrate $4 million in Savings
Seattle, WA, March 31– Providing housing and support services for homeless alcoholics costs taxpayers less than leaving them on the street, where taxpayer money goes towards police and emergency health care. Stable housing also results in reduced drinking among homeless alcoholics, according to a Seattle-based study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The study found that the program saved taxpayers more than $4 million dollars over the first year of operation. During the first six months, even after considering the cost of administering housing for the 95 residents in a Housing First program in downtown Seattle, the study reported an average cost-savings of 53 percent — nearly $2,500 per month per person in health and social services, compared to the costs of a wait-list control group of 39 homeless people.
1811 Eastlake is a program of the Downtown Emergency Service Center in Seattle.