Homeless shelter program has long-term benefits

The winter homeless shelter program may have ended this week, but because of a new go-it-alone strategy by Glendale and Burbank this year, many of the program’s clients will continue to have roofs over their heads.

Operators of the shelter — Glendale officials, supported by funding from Burbank and nonprofit homeless service providers — were able to transition 38 people into temporary, subsidized housing in an attempt to permanently get them off the streets.

To do so, they overcame not only tight budgets and a lack of the safety net that is Los Angeles County, but a round of skepticism from neighboring regional shelter operators and others, including this editorial board. Which makes this success story all the more sweet.

Certainly, the benefits of transitioning so many homeless clients into housing that will far outlast the typical stay has longer-term benefits for not only them and their quest to regain their footing, but for public services. Those are 38 fewer people that would otherwise now be back on the streets — and that’s because local officials took a chance on a new service model.