Over the weekend I got this message from Mayor Bob Coble:

The City’s Housing First pilot program that started in 2007 is almost complete. The results are incredible. I am attaching a report from Dr. David Parker at USC. The program is only for the chronically street homeless as defined by HUD. We now have hard and accurate data on the outcome of the program in Columbia. The results in Columbia are:

1. Instead of helping 25 persons the program has served over 60;

2. The program has a 96% success rate in keeping folks off the street; and

3. The daily cost of $38.20 per day per individual is in line with other Housing First programs. Additionally you can add in the lower health care costs (18 of the persons now have a primary care doctor rather than using the emergency room); and the increase in monthly income for the participants (client monthly income increased from $193.04 to $378.39).

4. There are only 150-200 chronically street homeless in Columbia (there are hundreds or thousands who are homeless due to family or economic circumstances). The chronically street homeless cause-or more accurately and fairly perceive to cause-100% of the problems associated with homelessness. The numbers of chronically street homeless are low enough that an expanded Housing First Program could actually be the solution-or almost the solution. Housing First combined with the MHA program should be the plan.

Personally, I still have a lot of doubts about the Housing First approach, and I’m still quite sure the city is missing the boat not joining in with what the Midlands Housing Alliance is trying to do. But the mayor’s numbers sound promising, as far as they go. I look forward to hearing more from the mayoral candidates about that subject.

I have a meeting with Mayor Bob tomorrow morning. Maybe I can learn more about the subject then.