Rapid Rehousing is Resting Comfortably…

Dr. Iain De Jong

I spent years teaching in various formal and informal settings, from middle school through graduate school, from sitting around a campfire with kids to sitting down with doctors and teaching them continuing medical education. I always tried to emphasize that you always need to question what you are told, what you hear, what you read. I always cautioned that you need to keep in mind that very few issues have black and white explanations or silver bullet solutions. You must read between the lines, and always question the agenda, motive and point of view of the writer or speaker.

I mention this in light of the recent reports of the supposed demise and failure of Rapid Rehousing, not in some partisan rag, but on NPR (shudder!) Well, thankfully, Dr. Iain De Jong, of OrgCode, reminds us in an excellent blog post that, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of Rapid Rehousing have been greatly exaggerated. If anything, when programs work properly, the evidence points to the very opposite. Read the full blog post here: Does Rapid ReHousing Work? Well, it depends.

While there, check out this cool video, which De Jong links to in the blog post, where he walks us through “Housing First 101”. Stay tuned for more to come in August about Dr. De Jong’s visit to Dallas. We will be hosting a Hard Conversation, where he will discuss this issue, in a talk entitled, “Who Deserves Housing First?”