Andrew Lamb explains why people enter sober living homes. Most residents aren't chronically homeless but "marginally unhoused": their housing collapsed suddenly, and they're within 14 days of homelessness under HUD's definition. It's acute crisis, not long-term street life.
You'd be shocked to hear how many people have moved into our homes who are simply looking for affordable housing. We have people who literally were living with family, the family member passed away, and now they had to find somewhere else to move. They were staying with somebody not paying rent, and all of a sudden their whole living situation is turned upside down and they are made homeless. Or according to the HUD definition of homelessness, they're within about 14 days of becoming homeless when they contact us. So it's not that they are on a park bench. It's not that they've been chronically homeless and been outside for any period time. It's simply that they are what we tend to see as marginally unhoused. So people who are sheltered but by the HUD definition are considered homeless.
