The conventional view of treating homelessness is fix the addiction first and then find someone a home.
Dr. Sam Tsemberis says the Housing First approach turns that old idea around and finds clients a place to live first and then agencies work to address any drug or alcohol problems or mental health issues.
He says people in the Housing First program won’t lose their spot while getting they simply get treatment and come home like the rest of us would.
Tsemberis developed the program when he was a street outreach work after years of trial and error they asked the homeless on the street what they wanted and the answer was..somewhere to live.
Paul Leblanc now lives in Shediac but spent some time living on the street but now has a home.
He has been schizophrenic for 20 years and tells us he’s been stable on new medication for 5 years.
He says he was on the street and had a rude awakening and spent some time in a group home but he’s doing good now and plans to keep it that way.
Leblanc is also employed as a seasonal worker on an apple farm.
