(From wikipedia.com)

A new investigative report in the New York Times reveals a corrupt and virtually unregulated system of housing that preys on those that suffer from addiction and mental disease. Called “three-quarter” homes, there may be as many as 600 of these privately owned residences in NYC that act as a limbo between inpatient hospital care and shelters. The article tells the story of a group of homes owned by a single landlord and a few of the unfortunate residents trapped within this system. Disturbingly, reputable hospitals and treatment centers often refer patients to these homes. Landlord’s profit off of their tenant’s state-provided subsidies, which are insufficient for any other type of housing. The landlord collects the government assistance checks provided to the tenants provided that they regularly attend treatment centers. This has the unexpected consequence of incentivizing a landlord to encourage his tenants to relapse and thus remain in treatment…and in the three-quarter home. This vicious cycle is perfectly encapsulated in the articles headline “A Choice for Recovering Addicts: Relapse of Homelessness.” Read the full article for more details.

However, the article neglects the opportunity to elucidate the root cause of the existence of these three-quarter homes: lack of a sufficient, standardized and coordinated health care system for the treatment of addiction and other mental diseases. A critical problem in the American healthcare system is the lack of adequate inpatient medical treatment for people suffering from addiction, and is why people get referred to the three-quarter homes in the first place.

Addiction is a complex mental health disorder that requires an individual treatment plan that may involve medication, counseling, group and/or individual therapy, and other options. Without a well-funded, evidence-based, medical treatment program formulated for an individual’s addiction, they are likely to fall into the purgatory of three-quarter homes or even worse, the streets or prison. Ultimately homes likes these are allowed to exist due to the lack of adequate treatment options and facilities for addicts.

 And of course, the medical and treatment culture of addiction cannot be changed until the stigma against addicts and addiction is changed. Addiction is a medical disease and needs to be treated as such.