About the Course
A comprehensive study and exploration of the overall homelessness problem in the United States, including a historical overview of the problem. Explore the roles of mental health, domestic violence, and trauma on the homeless population, and discuss how different cities in the country are addressing homelessness, including services provided, and the roles of law enforcement and the judicial systems. Go over basic tenets of mental health assessment and intervention with chronically homeless individuals, and focus on the two predominant approaches to treating homelessness: Treatment First vs. Housing First, and the challenges each approach has. The course narrows its focus on the chronically homeless, which account for 15% of the population, yet consume more than 50% of available resources.