Josephus Anderson is lucky to have chosen Detroit for his home. It could be because it has low housing prices and low rents when compared with other large cities in the United States1. But for Anderson, the reasons Detroit is a good place are a little different.
Anderson has had quite a spell of homelessness and some other misadventures, including time in jail.
Detroit was a good landing place because it has signed on to the Built For Zero campaign. That campaign aims to end homelessness by getting to know every person who is homeless in a community on a by-name basis as it works with them to end their homelessness2.
Anderson is also a veteran. During the Obama administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs began directing some of its resources to homeless veterans. The Veterans Affairs supports piggy back on the Built For Zero program. Veterans who enroll in Built For Zero can access a bunch of additional supports from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Detroit is one of the cities where Built for Zero for Veterans has landed very effectively. In 2017, 348 people who were homeless in Detroit were also veterans. In April this year, the number had dropped to 60. Anderson is one of the 288 who have moved into permanent housing.
Read more about Anderson and Built for Zero for Veterans in reasons to be cheerful: A Personal Approach to Overcoming Veteran Homelessness in Detroit
