Should We Give Homeless People Homes?
How the city of Medicine Hat in Canada, ended homelessness by giving every person living in the streets a home.
It is a surprisingly simple idea - to end long-term homelessness, give every person living on the streets a home. It can also be surprisingly effective. Medicine Hat, a city in Canada, recently became the first city to end homelessness in this way. The approach is known as Housing First, and – unlike many other homelessness initiatives – it does not require homeless people to make steps towards solving other issues like alcoholism, mental health problems or drug addiction before they get a home. But is this approach solving the problem, or simply moving it off the streets?
(Image: A homeless man with his dog outside a building. Credit to Getty)
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‘We were doing something no one had done before’
Duration: 01:15
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Taken from the streets and given a home
Duration: 01:01
Broadcasts
- Tue 26 Apr 201601:06GMTBBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Tue 26 Apr 201602:06GMTBBC World Service UK DAB/Freeview & Online only
- Tue 26 Apr 201603:06GMTBBC World Service East Asia
- Tue 26 Apr 201604:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia & South Asia only
- Tue 26 Apr 201606:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa
- Tue 26 Apr 201614:06GMTBBC World Service except News Internet
- Sun 1 May 201602:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia & South Asia only
- Sun 1 May 201604:06GMTBBC World Service except Australasia, News Internet & South Asia
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