Print edition: 
After years of homelessness, James Smith can't believe he has a key to his own apartment.
Sometimes he just sits inside his new residence, thanking God for the chance to start over.
"I've got my respect now because I have something to look forward do — a place to stay again," said Smith, 55.
Robert Hilton, 54, who has lived in shelters and rescue missions all over the country, can cook his own meals, read as long as he wishes, get out and apply for jobs again, his life stabilized by having his own apartment.
"It gives you a sense of self again," he said.
The two men, both military veterans who fought joblessness, injuries and substance-abuse demons, are among the chronically homeless individuals in the area who have been living in housing provided by the Housing First program funded by the city of Wichita and Sedgwick County.
The program, about to complete its first year, was founded on the theory that getting the homeless off the streets is the first step to resolving the issues that made them homeless.
Its first-year goal was to house up to 64 people who met the definition of chronically homeless by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD defines them as unaccompanied people who have disabling conditions and have been homeless for at least one year, or at least four times in the past three years.
As of Jan. 14, 61 chronically homeless people were housed through the program, and three had been approved and were searching for apartments.
The program has housed as many as 73 people throughout the year, but some left either to enter treatment programs, move out of state to be closer to family, or find their own housing because they didn't need the program anymore, according to the program specialists for the city and county.
Results have been remarkable. Normally, homelessness is a huge financial burden on communities because homeless people see high rates of court time, jail time, ambulance rides, emergency room visits, and police and EMS calls.
But a Housing First survey of 55 participants showed that as of Dec. 16 there had been an 83 percent reduction in the number of homeless people going to jail, a 78 percent reduction in hospitalizations for medical reasons, an 82 percent reduction in hospitalizations for psychiatric reasons, and a 41 percent increase in participants seeking treatments.
Among the participants, six are contributing to their rent or utilities or both. Five are employed, while 15 receive Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance, 10 are on general assistance, 43 get food stamps, and two receive a pension.
Program participants
The housing is spread among 28 apartment complexes and property owners in 10 ZIP codes across the city.
Landlords and apartment managers have welcomed the program, according to Shelly Haupt, the city's Housing First program specialist, and Christine Tomkus, the program's specialist for the county.
Although landlords sometimes complain about damages, they generally try to work out the problems and continue in the program, they said.
The program receives about $382,000 in funds paid equally by the city and county. That covers rent, utilities, applications, deposits, damages and other costs.
But if a client has a source of income, he or she is asked to contribute up to 30 percent of their income toward the rent and utilities.
Most are happy to do so because they feel a sense of self-respect, the specialists said.
A sense of self
Fred Harris, 58, homeless for the last three years after he says a lifetime of work in the media and music business unraveled from bad business deals, pays the electric bill in his apartment. He thinks he can start paying toward his rent next month if a disability request comes through.
Harris, who like Smith and Hilton lived in the Union Rescue Mission before entering the program, thought at first that having his own place to return to every night was too good to be true. He half expected to be thrown out, he said.
"To actually know I had these keys in my hand... I couldn't' believe it," Harris said.
Jon Cliburn, a case manager for Comcare who has seven clients in the program, said it's easier to get them into services they need because he doesn't have to hunt for them anymore.
"It stabilizes them and allows us to really work on their issues," he said.
They get in less trouble with the law, he said. Tickets for jaywalking and arrests for petty thefts drop once they get into housing.
Case managers introduce their clients to resources such as food banks, doctors and social activities in their new neighborhoods so they don't go out and commit crimes.
For Smith, who says he saw a career in electronics killed by the computer era, having his own place means he has a chance to get out and visit, share, be himself and "try to do the right thing in your heart."
He sees his sick brother and ailing mother in the hospital every day. He doubts he could deal with that without some stability in his own life.
With two sisters also struggling, Smith thought he was the "man of the house," even though he didn't have a house.
The apartment renews that sense.
"It's about being a man again," he said.
