Corporation for Supportive Housing

As Congress deliberates over the fate of the Department of Housing and Urban Development budget, I urge them to not be penny wise and pound foolish. Congress has a daunting task of balancing the budget while attempting to preserve the safety net for those most in need.

If a small technology company that only started a year ago can create an enterprise valued at $200 million, why can't we raise $30 billion to take every chronic homeless person off the street?

We know that supportive housing works to end homelessness for people with multiple disabilities, medical problems and other barriers to housing stability.

Step Up is one example of many outstanding, local permanent supportive housing providers transforming lives and neighborhoods and it deserves recognition and the backing of governments and the private sector.

Each April, we at the Corporation of Supportive Housing observe Fair Housing Month and reaffirm the ideals it represents and the impact it has for our nation's homeless and disabled.

The changing dynamic of homelessness presents a challenge for the U.S. Census Bureau, which this week dispatched thousands to count not just the homeless but also what they are calling "people temporarily experiencing homelessness."

A recent study issued by the National Sheriff's Association and the Treatment Advocacy Center describes the shocking fact that there are now three times more mentally ill persons in American jails and prisons than there are in hospitals.

Creating permanent supportive housing for veterans, utilizing "Housing First" and other models, is not only the smart thing to do, it's the right thing to do.