PORTLAND, Oregon — A new study by Portland State University hopes to shape the way those experiencing homelessness are housed. It looks at how different types of shelters can impact whether someone gets on the right track to permanent housing.
Assistant Director of Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative at Portland State University Jacen Greene said, "The Joint Office of Homeless Services reached out to us and asked us to look at traditional congregate shelters. Those mass shelters where many people are going to be in one room, versus motel shelters converted motels — versus these village shelters that have these tiny homes pods clustered around some shared services."
Researchers looked back at two years worth of data and conducted interviews. Several factors were analyzed as part of the study.
"What we did is looked at the cost of each, the cost to build, the cost to operate and the experiences of clients in different types of shelters,," said Greene. "Then we looked at all of the records of where they're entering shelters from and where they were exiting to."
The study found that congregate shelters or traditional shelters that house a lot of people, didn't lead to the best outcomes for the homeless.
"Congregate shelters do a pretty poor job of getting people into permanent housing. Congregate shelters only had exit records for about half of people that had stayed in them," said Green. "Even with all of that missing data, what we still saw was that would turn about the same number of people back into sheltered homelessness as they placed in permanent housing."
Alternative shelters like motels and village shelters helped those most in need, according to the study.
"In the motel shelters, they seem to be smaller with the same group of people and the clients there felt very supported. They could build a sense of community and they built really good relationships with staff that were able to navigate some of these complicated services and pathways into housing."
One of the most important reasons why motel and village shelters found success in getting people into permanent housing — was due to the privacy they offer.
Greene said, "Having your own private space really matters. Having your own hotel room or your own pod in a village gives people a sense of autonomy, dignity and safety."
While alternative shelters can be more expensive, Greene says it's better to put people in shelters that will help them build a better life.
"We may pay to have a little bit more for services and staff to make sure people are successfully exiting homelessness. I think that investment is worth it for those people and our community."
The Joint Office of Homeless Services released a new community sheltering strategy based on the research. The study also found having culture specific communities helped those experiencing homelessness feel safe and connected to their community.