Maienschein: A plan to help the homeless, and the city

I am pleased to share that the United Way of San Diego has launched “Project 25,” a new and innovative program to reduce homelessness and save taxpayer money.

The initiative will provide housing and supportive services to at least 25 of San Diego’s highest cost chronically homeless. These individuals are the most frequent users of public resources, including medical, emergency, and legal services.

This is a historic opportunity for San Diego’s efforts to end chronic homelessness, while making a significant positive impact on the individuals housed, and the community at large. This program is the first-ever collaboration of its kind between the City of San Diego and the county and also has unprecedented cooperation between agencies at the city, the county, and the non-profit sector.

Project 25 will identify the chronically homeless individuals who are the most frequent users of taxpayer dollars. Housing and services will be provided, thus reducing the impact on government agencies.

Previous studies indicate the cost of housing and services such as mental health counseling and job training typically are in the range of $30,00-$50,000 a year. Without intervention, these individuals typically cost taxpayers $100,000-$200,000 per year. Extreme high-end individuals can cost significantly more money than that. One local study found that 15 homeless San Diegans consumed $1.5 million in medical services alone over 1.5 years.

Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, author of the “Tipping Point” and “Blink,” has shown the wisdom of pursuing a solution such as Project 25. Gladwell’s “Million Dollar Murray,” showed the cost of just one individual, Murray, to be in excess of $1 million. By intervening and taking action, these costs can be dramatically reduced. These “frequent users” of government services usually make numerous visits to hospital emergency rooms, with frequent law enforcement and legal contacts. With housing and services, these hospital visits, law enforcement interactions, and other taxpayer funded costs will be significantly reduced.

A first of its kind agreement has been entered into in San Diego to cooperate to share data and results. Law enforcement agencies including the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego Sheriff’s Office, and the San Diego District Attorney’s Office have signed on to support the program. Also, nonprofits such as Father Joe’s Villages, Rescue Mission, Alpha Project, Family Health Centers and the United Way have entered into the agreement. Finally, the University of California at San Diego Medical Center also joined.

Project 25 is a three-year pilot program that will house a minimum of 25 individuals from the chronically homeless population over a three-year period. I believe that the data will clearly show the tremendous savings that occur when the most difficult population is addressed.

I am very pleased to bring this program to fruition. Not only will those in need be helped, but also there will be significant savings to taxpayers. Project 25 will improve lives, save taxpayer money, and benefit our community.

Maienschein served two terms as a member of the San Diego City Council. He is the commissioner of the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, working for the United Way of San Diego. He can be reached at bmaienschein@uwsd.org.