How Does Bridged Housing Work for the Homeless Population?
Bridged Housing is not like emergency shelters for the homeless.
What is bridged housing?
Bridged housing is a short-term intensive model designed to help individuals transition out of homelessness. It’s an effective approach that provides not just shelter, but help and support to find affordable housing for the homeless.
Bridged housing offers a more private and dignified environment. It often allows residents to stay with their partners or keep their pets with them.
While providing a secure place to sleep, store belongings, it allows individuals to shift their focus from mere survival to long-term goals. A lot of homeless seniors never thought rent would be more than their retirement income.
Bridged housing offers dedicated case management addressing employment, health needs, etc; not just housing status.
A person or couple can usually stay around 90-120 days. This will give them time to focus on working out plans for permanent housing.
The Difference Between Shelters and Bridged Housing
I watch you-tube videos featuring homeless people of all ages across America.
Homeless people verify the homeless shelters are unsafe. People get their belongings stolen sometimes, and fights often break out. Being without food and shelter has to be so frightening, causing acute anxiety and tension, I would imagine.
I can understand why some people choose to stay out of the government shelters and create their own shelters on the streets. They want to protect their valuables and feel a little safer.
Furthermore, the shelters use a first-come, first-served system, while the bridged housing services work towards the long-term objective of securing permanent housing.
Personally, if I found myself homeless, I would choose to live in my van stocked with essentials needed to sustain a comfortable lifestyle.
Being independent is a more secure option. Until they control inflation, people estimate rents will continue to skyrocket. And if you’re an older adult living on a fixed income and not able to work any longer, you need options.
You can call 211 in any state in the U. S. A and get connected with resources like Bridged Housing. Please pass this information on to someone you know that may be homeless and looking for dependable resources.
Thanks for reading.
Kindly,
Carol