Dennis is on the streets homeless in Charlotte, North Carolina, fighting to stay sober. Dennis was just exited from a recovery rehab center after 36 days.
36 days is not enough time for an alcoholic or drug addict to get sober. The typical stay in an addiction treatment center is 28 days, although most alcoholics or addicts need 90 days to a year to get enough sobriety to stay sober. The reason for the short stay is money yet taxpayers and insurance companies actually end up paying more due to homeless people relapsing. Many rehabs become a revolving door.
Added to this, after a person gets sober, they are excited back to homelessness, where it’s nearly impossible to stay sober. Many people these days believe falsely that homelessness is 100% caused by mental illness and addiction, and that the lack of affordable housing is a hoax. They believe that to end homelessness, we need more recovery centers. Yet, the real truth is that without housing after a person exits addiction or mental health treatment, they are still homeless.
On the day of this interview, Dennis turned 65. He says shelters and places that provide housing won’t accept him because of his age. Dennis is going to fight to stay sober, living homeless in Charlotte. Dennis says he does not have family or anyone to help with support.
Your voice can help end homelessness. If we do not fix the affordable housing crisis, homelessness will continue to get worse. Click here to tweet, email, call, or Facebook your federal and state legislators to tell them ending homelessness and creating more affordable housing is a priority to you.
