Photo by Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

Arlington County would rather pay now, than pay more later.

As part of the 100 Homes campaign, volunteers and county workers surveyed 153 homeless people in one week and found that 30 percent of them showed “tri-morbidity,” a term used to categorize a homeless person who has a combination of mental health problems, a medical condition and substance abuse issues. The survey was part of an effort to identify the most vulnerable people on the street and place them in housing as soon as possible. The idea is that finding homeless individuals places to live is far less expensive than providing them with continuous care while they’re on the street. From WAMU:

The 100 Homes campaign, which is also part of a national 100,000 Homes project, will cost the county millions of dollars over the next couple of years, but board member Barbara Favola says countless studies have shown that providing housing is cheaper than letting the needy fend for themselves.

“It costs a community on average about $40,000 a year to house a homeless individual versus $140,000 a year to repeatedly give them services and allow them to remain on the street.”

Hospital visits account for much of the cost of letting the homeless remain without shelter. Those in the survey reported a total of more than 300 hospital visits in the past three months alone. Over the course of one year that adds up to $3.2 million of care at an Arlington County hospital.