Supportive housing is affordable housing paired with services for our most vulnerable residents that addresses the root causes of homelessness including chronic physical and behavioral health conditions
Currently in Minnesota, it is estimated that we need 15,375 more units of supportive housing to meet the need. This includes both individuals and families who are homeless and/or cycle through crisis response systems and institutional settings such as nursing homes, foster care, hospitals, jails, shelters, or group homes due to a lack of affordable housing with supportive services. These settings fail to provide the necessary long-term housing and health support. Without supportive housing, people continue to cycle through these institutions, often being discharged back to the streets to restart the cycle.
This cycle is costly with jurisdictions spending $15,000 or more per person per year on public services like emergency shelters, public safety (e.g. EMS, 911, detox facilities), emergency department visits, jail stays and more. In contrast, supportive housing increases stability while also reducing spending on these services by up to $6,875 per person per year.
In dozens of studies across the country over the last 20 years, supportive housing has proven to be an effective intervention that improves housing stability, reduces the use of expensive crisis care, and improves outcomes even for individuals with complex needs. Based on this body of research, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has long regarded supportive housing as an evidence-based practice that is “the most potent” intervention to impact housing stability and help people with disabilities and other barriers to housing achieve their desired goals.