Houston, Texas – the fourth most populous city in the US – has managed to reduce rates of homelessness by 63 per cent by making housing the most vulnerable homeless people a priority, and dealing with unemployment, addiction issues or mental health problems later. While Houston hasn’t eliminated homelessness altogether, it has moved over 25,000 people directly into apartments and houses, where the majority have remained for at least two years. As documented by The New York Times, key to the city’s success has been forcing government agencies, service providers and charities to work together effectively.
A programme founded by an ex-combatant in Liberia has reportedly turned around the lives of a growing group of men. Johnson Borh developed the eight-week Sustainable Transformation of Youth in Liberia (STYL) scheme to support ex-fighters like himself. It involves a stint of therapy and a cash transfer for participants. Researchers from the University of Chicago studied how STYL works and recorded a 50 per cent reduction in destructive behaviours. As the Good News Network reports, other cities – including Chicago – are now replicating Borh’s work for their own contexts.
