Cornerstone For Women Foundation

ADVOCATES FOR THE HOMELESS have demonstrated that a “housing first” approach is the best and most economical way to combat chronic homelessness. While the personal price that a homeless individual pays is beyond calculation, the economic fact is that one chronically homeless person drains about $100,000 from Ottawa’s support services. Facts about homelessness and its impact on the people who live on the street as a way of life are outlined in Destination: Home, commissioned by Ottawa’s Leadership Table on Homelessness and released in May 2009.

The annual cost to provide one homeless woman with basic accommodation in permanent supportive housing can be as low as $18,000 for someone who needs only minimal support to get back on her feet. The cost to provide the services required to combat the multiple and highly complex challenges of most homeless women and to keep them off the streets, regardless of their age, varies hugely depending on need. The financial advantage is that an investment in permanent, supportive housing can be recovered relatively quickly when the use of expensive emergency services such as ambulance, police and criminal justice services are reduced. An even more powerful achievement, however, is that women who have been using a disproportionate amount of public services will inevitably go on to contribute to the wellbeing of their community as volunteers, neighbours and members of the workforce.

Cornerstone’s committed staff and volunteers recognized some years ago that safe, affordable housing was the only real solution to a problem that for years had been addressed with band-aid solutions such as shelters and temporary housing, often without the support services to make a permanent difference in the lives of these most vulnerable people. Cornerstone’s focus on homeless women gave it the opportunity to develop the unique programs and services that would build on the strength and courage of the women who came to its doors.