Example: Tenderloin Housing Clinic Has Been Transitioning the Homeless into Housing for 40 Years

OWN VOICE.  The approach that San Mateo County is taking to house homeless people is one of several options that are used in major cities around the country.

The idea of buying a motel, having a security team in front making sure only authorized residents access their room, and then having support nearby—health care, mental health care, case managers and social workers—is a model that can be successful in helping people move beyond homelessness if executed properly.

Wynne Tang (Director of Finance), of TH Clinic in San Francisco, said that the benefit to the homeless people in having an address is stability:

• an address to put on a job application
• access to a case manager
• referrals to benefits and professional help, if needed

It is also much cheaper to lease or pay the mortgage on a motel, if managed properly, than to operate a homeless shelter, because homeless shelters actually perpetuate homelessness, and having an address helps a person move up a ladder of success, until they can afford an apartment.

For some people who lost a job, ran out of rent, and just need an address for a few weeks or months to get back on their feet, that motel room could allow for a quick transition.

For others who have mental health problems, and drug addiction, it is still an improvement on homeless shelters because of the stabilizing effect of a more permanent place, and it often allows the homeless person to connect with family and get the help they need from mental health professionals and from treatment for their addiction.

~ Submitted by Catherine Peery, KPDO Radio, Pescadero

TH Clinic ~ 40 Years of Tenderloin Housing Clinic

They own 23 hotel properties

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