As rates of homelessness outstrip shelter accommodations nationwide, experts say that punitive measures will only compound the problem.
Emily Mann, teaching professor of human services at Northeastern, and senior research associate at the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, says that prevention science, or looking at the root causes of homelessness, is critical to finding solutions. Today, that means understanding what researchers refer to as the social determinants of health, or the different aspects of a person’s environment that factor into their life trajectory in terms of health, quality-of-life and other associated risks.
“That means we’re looking to solve problems before they start, intervene early when problems start to manifest, and then treat and react to them once they’ve become a social problem,” Mann says.
Read the full article in the Northeastern Global News!
