After decades of government efforts and tens of billion dollars spent, homelessness persists. Given the lack of progress, it may be time to consider more innovative solutions.
One novel idea is to house the homeless in homes or group quarters run by licensed professionals in a program called adult foster care.
The government would provide monthly payments to cover individuals housed by caregivers who meet health and safety training requirements. Living conditions and the rules in the house would all be specified and voluntarily agreed upon by caregivers and those being housed.
One advantage of adult foster care is that it targets the neediest cases. Many existing programs, like federal rent support, exclude the most destitute homeless by focusing on temporary housing and provide subsidies that still require some payment.
Cities, states, and the federal government already spend billions of dollars operating homeless shelters. Expanding existing shelter programs typically mean building costly new buildings in high-rent areas. In contrast, adult foster care program would not require new public housing, leading to housing more people at a lower cost.
When existing programs fail to make desired progress, it is worth considering other options. Adult foster care is one idea that should be tested, because, it just might provide a more successful and cost-effective method of reducing homelessness.
