In this article, the city of Medicine Hat, Alberta, is spotlighted as a pioneering model of the Housing First approach to homelessness. Instead of requiring individuals to meet conditions such as sobriety or treatment compliance before being housed, the city prioritised permanent housing first and then provided support services. The piece highlights how strong local coordination, political will, and data-driven planning enabled Medicine Hat to reduce shelter use dramatically and be heralded as the first Canadian city to effectively end chronic homelessness. Key themes include the shift from emergency responses to stable housing as a right, and the cost-savings that prompt broader systems change.
Read the article here.