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Cheaper To House The Homeless In B.C.

Posted by: Nate Berg

25 September 2007 - 6:00am

Government research form British Columbia has shown that it costs cities more than $12,000 per homeless person per year. Some are saying it would be cheaper for the city to give them housing than to keep them on the streets.

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"The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce has decided to do something about homelessness and the city's downtrodden, something to improve the lives of our neighbours who are homeless, make the downtown more pleasant for everyone and save taxpayers $9.5 million annually."

"Some people think we are wasting money when we help our most needy neighbours."

"In fact the opposite is true. According to B.C. government research, it costs $12,000 more a year to keep someone on the street than to provide them with a modest home and some support. Multiply that by the number of people who are absolutely homeless in the capital region -- at least 791 individuals -- and you get a staggering $9.5 million wasted every year to allow people to be homeless."

Full Story: Opinion: Ignoring the homeless will cost you more
Source: Times Colonist, September 24, 2007
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