Manhattan nonprofit shows permanent supportive housing can curb jail time and costs
St. Francis Friends of the Poor has run a permanent supportive housing program for nearly five decades, offering private rooms and on-site care to people with severe mental illness, while costing far less than incarceration.
St. Francis Friends of the Poor operates three supportive-housing residences in Manhattan and is adding a fourth in Harlem, serving roughly 300 people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or similar conditions. Residents receive a private bedroom, daily budgeting assistance, and on-site nursing and psychiatric care, allowing many to stay for an average of 18 years with a life expectancy of 68 years. The program’s annual cost of $33,000 per resident starkly contrasts with the $556,539 expense of a year in a New York City jail.
Federal proposals to slash HUD housing funds and Medicaid threaten the financing of such initiatives, prompting warnings from staff like deputy executive director John Betts that cuts would be “devastating.” Supporters argue that expanding permanent supportive housing could reduce the 205,000 annual jail bookings of unhoused individuals and lower overall incarceration costs.
Why it matters
The story highlights how stable housing can lower incarceration rates and public spending while improving lives of those with severe mental illness.
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