When people talk about homelessness, the focus is often on what we see most visibly: tents, shelters at capacity, emergency rooms overwhelmed, and crisis response systems stretched thin. What we talk about far less — but what may matter more than anything else — is what failed long before someone ever lost their housing.
One of the most accurate ways homelessness has been described is this:
Homelessness often begins with the catastrophic loss of family.
When family breaks down — through death, addiction, untreated mental illness, abuse, incarceration, rejection, or caregiver burnout — people don’t just lose emotional support. They lose housing, advocacy, accountability, history, and a place to return to when things go wrong.
Most people never experience homelessness because they have someone who intervenes early. When that safety net disappears, even a small crisis can become catastrophic.
When Family Disappears, Systems Must Step In
For individuals living with serious mental health conditions or intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), family is often already fragile or gone. Parents age or pass away. Caregivers burn out. Siblings are unable or unwilling to step in. Systems assume independence that isn’t realistic.
When family disappears — and nothing replaces it — homelessness is not a surprise. It is the predictable outcome.
That is why foster care–style housing, adult mental health homes, and supportive shared housing are not side conversations in homelessness response. They are some of the most important defenses against homelessness we have.
When done well, these models function as family substitutes — not emotionally, but structurally:
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someone notices when something is wrong
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someone helps manage daily life
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someone ensures housing stability
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someone provides continuity and care
This is not institutional care. It is relationship-based housing.
Dignity Matters — and Quality Matters Even More
It is important to say this clearly: not all foster care or supportive housing is the same.
Done poorly, these models can feel restrictive or unsafe. Done well — by the right people, with the right values and oversight — they are among the most dignified and humane housing options available.
They provide structure without punishment. Support without control. Stability without isolation.
For many people with MH or IDD needs, this is not a step backward — it is the difference between stability and chronic homelessness.
Where SPARC Fits: Rebuilding What’s Been Lost
Through SPARC — the Service Providers and Regional Connections framework — our community is intentionally working to rebuild what has been missing.
SPARC recognizes that homelessness is not just a housing problem. It is a systems and connection problem.
By design, SPARC works to:
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connect shelter directly to housing
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align service providers across disciplines
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expand supportive housing options, including foster-care and shared housing models
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intervene earlier, before crisis becomes visible
In many ways, SPARC is about rebuilding relational infrastructure — ensuring that when family support is gone, people are not left to fall alone.
Supportive foster care and shared housing are not peripheral to this work. They are central to it.
A Smarter, More Humane Approach
When communities lack appropriate MH and IDD housing options, people do not disappear. They show up in shelters, emergency rooms, jails, and encampments. The cost is enormous. The human toll is greater.
Investing in supportive foster care and shared housing is not only compassionate — it is effective homelessness prevention.
It keeps people housed.
It reduces reliance on crisis systems.
It restores dignity.
And it replaces loss with stability.
Building a System That Prevents, Not Just Responds
Homelessness is rarely caused by a single event. More often, it follows the loss of people who notice, intervene, and help stabilize life before crisis becomes visible.
By strengthening the frontline — through SPARC, through dignified supportive housing, and through intentional investment in MH and IDD foster care models — communities can shift from constant crisis response to true prevention.
This is how we build systems that work.
This is how fewer people fall through the cracks.
And this is how housing becomes more than shelter — it becomes stability.
Matthew Vorderstrasse, M.A., PHM
Executive Director, North Bend City and Coos-Curry Housing Authorities