( Good ) -- A few months ago , the Joseph Rowntree Foundation , a UK-based nonprofit that does amazing work in the field of poverty and social exclusion , issued a surprising report that deserves a much wider readership . The study evaluated the success of a radical new way of working with the long-term homeless . Instead of soup kitchens , shelters , and mobile health clinics , the charity Broadway simply selected 15 homeless people that their outreach workers had found the hardest to reach ( one had been on the streets for an astonishing 45 years ) , asked them what it was they needed to change their lives -- and then bought it for them . One asked for sneakers and a prepaid cell phone , one needed cash to pay off a loan , one wanted a TV and a comfy chair ( to make the move into hostel accommodation more attractive ) , and one requested a camper van . Each of them received the money to purchase exactly what they asked for , with the condition that they also had to choose a personal `` broker '' who would help them write a budget . Good : `` Cultural Tourist Agency '' teaches Angelenos how to walk in the city . Two refused to engage with the pilot project altogether , but of the 13 who agreed to take part , 11 are now off the streets . Several have entered treatment for addiction and mental health issues , some have reconnected with their families , and all are exhibiting an enhanced ability to function independently in society ( i.e . paying bills , signing up for welfare , and turning up for training courses , etc. ) . The participants ' own comments give a clue as to why the intervention worked so well : . I 've got a 32-inch telly and a DVD . I 've come a long way from the street ! The option of going to homeless organizations [ for support ] did n't enter my mind . I know I 'm an entirely different creature from most homeless people . I did n't just go for the most expensive , I did it as if it was my money . I 'm getting into thinking more [ about how the money is spent ] . I 've got to be honest here , it was n't just the individual budget , it was the fact there was [ co-ordinator ] there as well ... We was meeting [ regularly ] to discuss it , and I 'd actually gone from the stage of wanting nothing to do with these people , to actually looking forward to seeing them . Good : The 10 most wildly racist things from this anti-Muslim protest . This was only a small-scale pilot project , but its results are compelling and make a lot of sense . Broadway 's outreach workers , some of whom confessed that they were initially afraid that the homeless people would `` milk '' the system or spend the money on drugs , testified to the power of treating each person as an individual , respecting their autonomy , and helping them to build a relationship of trust and accountability with an `` establishment '' figure . The upfront expense of a budget and the cost of providing personalized one-on-one `` broker '' support are easily outweighed by the amount the taxpayer will spend over time on police , prison , and medical bills ( at least in the UK , where the study was carried out and where social services are more generous ) . This month , the pilot is being expanded to become a central part of Broadway 's regular outreach efforts in the City of London ; it will be fascinating to see whether these kinds of successes can be replicated on a larger scale . © 2010 Good . All rights reserved .
Of the 13 homeless people who agreed to take part , 11 are now off the streets . The 13 are exhibiting an enhanced ability to function independently in society . The pilot is being expanded this month to become a central part of Broadway 's outreach efforts .