Lexington city officials are making final preparations for the new 'Housing First' program. Announced this past summer, the initiative aims to help area homeless people who are dealing with substance abuse and/or mental health issues.
Charlie Lanter is director of the city's Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention. He addressed city council members Tuesday. "There are people with severe mental illness or severe substance abuse who cannot or will not for whatever reason, go through our existing system with emergency shelters and transitional housing," said Lanter. "This system provides an alternate route to permanent housing for some of those folks."
Beginning in early 2015, Lanter says up to 20 homeless individuals will be assigned single family units located throughout Lexington, with treatment administered inside the home. Lanter says the University of Kentucky will complete a financial analysis of the program. "What does it cost to serve someone who's homeless through this model? What does it cost through our existing model, and what does it cost when they're on the street with no intervention? Cause that's really what you are comparing it to is taking someone off the street who's cycling through jail, mental health, hospitals," added Lanter.
The first individuals could move into housing during the first quarter of 2015. The Housing First program is supported annually with $250,000 in city funds for three years.
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