Springboard’s
Vision2029
ZERO HOMELESSNESS
FULL EMPLOYMENT
Functional Zero = Homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring
We can transform Delaware into a state with near-real-time, sustainable zero homelessness… Join us in making Vision2029 a reality…homelessness is solvable.
Every Delawarean deserves a safe and reliable place to call home. It’s a matter of security, stability, and well-being. We have a moral obligation to ensure attainable housing, but it’s also the smart thing to do economically.
Housing stability + access to services is critical to creating the opportunity for marginalized Delawareans to lead successful lives and for our three counties and their local communities to thrive. It is also a matter of basic dignity, equity, and who we are as Americans.
Springboard is building statewide coalitions and empowering our neighbors in greatest need with a hand up, not a handout. We envision a Delaware where everyone lives with dignity, has a safe place to call home, and has the opportunity + resources needed to achieve one’s full potential.
THE CHALLENGE
Health and homelessness are inextricably linked. Illness, injury, and medical expenses put people at risk of homelessness, and homelessness is harmful to people’s health. Further, it’s often flaws in our social fabric, our economic systems, which disproportionately perpetuates a deleterious impact on communities of color.
People who are homeless face higher rates of mental health and substance use disorders….homelessness is a life-and-death public health crisis, and to solve it, we must bring the same urgency, creativity, and compassion that we bring to any life-and-death public health crisis—a hurricane, a wildfire, a flood, or a global pandemic.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Delaware continues to rise despite the availability of evidence-based solutions to sustainably end it.
Homelessness is rising in Delaware
2,369 people were experiencing homelessness in Delaware in a one night snapshot in February 2022
2x since 2019 - the number of people experiencing homelessness has doubled since 2019
Availability of affordable housing is limited
1 for every 3.2 households - there is 1 affordable and available rental unit for every 3.2 extremely low-income households.
1.8 full-time jobs to rent - a worker at minimum wage would have to work 1.8 full-time jobs to afford the fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment ($972/month)
4th highest foreclosure rate in USA - 1 in 497 homes in Delaware in foreclosure in 2022. In addition, home prices in DE have increased by 31% since 2020
THE SOLUTION
Our three-pronged systems approach
1. Attainable housing opportunities
Providing dignified dwellings for short-term crises, and attainable solutions for long-term housing.
2. Comprehensive, coordinated care
Connecting residents to comprehensive physical and mental health and safety services and care navigation support.
3. Education and Employment
Connecting residents to education/employment opportunities, including trade/professional training to achieve self-reliance and their full potential.
The Springboard Collaborative serves as the connecting fabric to coordinate care access from different sectors with the goal of helping Delaware become the first state to achieve functional zero homelessness.
THE 6 STEP JOURNEY
All Housed | Vibrant Lives
To put this solution into action, TSC developed a six-step journey to guide residents toward employment, stable housing, and long-term mental and physical health:
IDENTIFICATION
People in crisis, experiencing homelessness, health issue and lack of a stable income.
SPRINGBOARD PALLET VILLAGES
Interim pallet cabins, communal areas, and ‘open beds’ without strings attached for sobriety. Pets allowed.
ACCESS COORDINATED CARE
Free transportation, food provision, outpatient, mental & behavioral health, substance abuse support, justice re-entry & legal services.
EDUCATION & EMPLOYMENT
Vocational rehabilitation, education services, employment assistance and job training, life skills training, money management.
SPRINGBOARD COTTAGE COMMUNITIES
Permanent and affordable communities with follow on supportive services.
STABILITY, HEALTH & SELF SUFFICIENCY
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF HOMELESSNESS
Home Not Found
The largest and most comprehensive cost study of homelessness in the United States studied 104,206 individuals in Santa Clara County over six years - between 2007 and 2012.
The Cost Savings of Housing
104,206 individuals experienced homelessness in Santa Clara County over the study’s six-year period. The community has a significant opportunity to spend money more efficiently to better serve the population and provide long-term solutions to the homeless population.
Home Not Found offers critical data:
The top 5 percent of the homeless population accounts for 47 percent of all public costs. Within this population, 2,800 individuals are categorized as “persistently homeless” and have an average public cost of $83,000 per year. By prioritizing housing opportunities for these 2,800 persistently homeless individuals, it is possible to obtain savings that greatly exceed the cost of housing.
As demonstrated through our work with Housing 1000 (a Housing First program), tenth decile users cost on average $62,473while homeless. The average post-housing cost is estimated at $19,767, resulting in annual cost reduction of $42,706 for those who remained housed.