Author and architect Charles Durrett said resolving homelessness doesn’t have to be complicated.
The author of “A Solution to Homelessness in Your Town,” and one of the creators of several villages for formerly homeless residents and co-housing communities, said in his projects, residents found the community they needed to stabilize.
He said permanently housing people also saved the cities where residents had been homeless thousands of dollars in reduced emergency room visits, police, jail and fire calls.
“To start with, if you want to help your town with economic development, get as many people an address who don't have an address now,” he said.
He said his communities are built to feel like a close knit, walkable campuses, because people are more successful when they have close support from their neighbors.
His book walks readers through a community Durrett helped create in California that permanently housed several previously homeless veterans, and others experiencing homelessness.
Durrett spoke to Spokane Public Radio's Rebecca White to discuss solutions to homelessness. Hear an excerpt of their conversation here.