Despite the estimated 100 million homeless people worldwide and the prevalence of homelessness in virtually every region of the industrialized world, practical strategies to combat the problem remain elusive. In a review of the Victoria Integrated Community Outreach Team (VICOT) which was formed in Victoria, British Columbia last year, the impact of reduced homelessness on police and health-care costs has shown a clear benefit. After 44 out of 55 "hardest to house" individuals were successfully moved into housing, police calls regarding the formerly homeless has dropped from 1,181 calls in the 12 months before being housed to 381 since. Hospital use has also dropped from 465 bed days in local emergency wards prior to becoming housed to 330 days in the six months afterward. While not all "hard to house" clients were successfully placed, the program has had a remarkable impact on the lives of many of its clients.
The VICOT program was started as part of a joint initiative between ministries of the British Columbia government and the Victoria Police Department to address homelessness in an integrated manner. Based on a Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) framework, the program uses a Downtown Outreach Team consisting of community outreach workers, probation officers, police officers, and mental health professionals. Since street people often cycle through the medical and legal systems, the saved financial costs are considerable.
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