Are you ready to tackle another Grand Challenge of Social Work? This month, The AASWSW is calling on social workers to make big strides on a problem that’s made life very difficult for many people they serve: homelessness.

Our important Grand Challenge for June is:

Grand Challenge #6: End Homelessness

Homelessness continues to be a challenge for many Americans, with the AASWSW estimating that in any given year, 1.5 million of us at some point be will be without a place to sleep. Those with unstable housing tend to suffer from a number of poor outcomes to their physical and mental health. Chronic homelessness is also expensive, with taxpayers paying higher taxes when the problem persists. Housing the homeless is not only the human solution, but one with huge cost savings.

For years, social workers have been trained to work on reducing homelessness, moving clients out of transient shelters to more permanent housing placements. Now, though, the AASWSW suggests we aim even higher and aim to completely end homelessness throughout America.

Homelessness impacts a surprisingly large portion of American society. Populations likely to suffer from chronic and persistent homelessness include adults with severe mental illness, veterans, transitional aged youth, older adults, and lower income adults and families, particularly in cities with high costs of living. Families who live in poverty often also struggle to keep themselves housed, impacting the development and education of their children.

Solutions That Have Worked

Many American cities have started working at eradicate chronically mentally ill populations. The AASWSW describes Salt Lake City as a city that announced it completely eliminated homelessness in this population. The program they credit using is called Housing First. This initiative makes finding housing an immediate priority for anyone chronically homeless. After housing them, the housing recipients receive case management support to help them remain housed. This approach is proven to reduce returning to homelessness.

Families who end up homeless often do so because they can’t afford stable housing. Some US communities have found that finding ways to provide subsidized housing to these families, along with continued case management, has reduced repeat incidences of homelessness. Other experimental programs that have helped homeless families have paid for down payments or security deposits to help families with initial move-in costs.

Although these programs have promising results, they need to be tested on broader homeless populations and sections of the US.

Goals for Social Workers

First and foremost, stay informed! The AASWSW’s literature review on The Grand Challenges of Ending Homelessness will tell you about what the most up-to-date scientific studies on American homelessness.

Ending homelessness in the community where you serve will require bringing in professionals and policymakers in a wide variety of sectors. If you’re a student or work in academia, see if you can collaborate with other departments to do research that informs homeless policy. As a professional, collaborate with other practitioners to develop solutions that will keep your clients housed.

Let your local and national politicians know that you support policies that will eliminate homelessness in your city, state, and throughout America.

Stay tuned for a new Social Work Grand Challenge next month!