"Million Dollar Murray"

In his New Yorker article, "Million Dollar Murray," Malcolm Gladwell advances an interesting "Power-Law" theory regarding the problem of homelessness in this country. In a nutshell, Gladwell contends that rather than being an out of control epidemic, it is a far more manageable problem. At its heart, the theory holds that the greatest societal cost is incurred by a small number of "chronically homeless," comprised of only approximately 10% of the total homeless population. And, if communities target their efforts specifically on this smaller group of chronically homeless, they will go a long way towards reducing the incidence of homelessness and its associated costs. Of course, as Gladwell points out, these "chronically homeless" persons are also the hardest cases--the alcoholics, infirm, drug users, and mentally ill. However, if you consider the costs to the community in terms of emergency room visits, jail time, rehab programs, etc., Gladwell asserts, it makes far more sense to focus pre-emptive programs on this group. Several communities have piloted such programs, going so far to provide free apartments and free, preventative health services. So far, it would seem that the results are encouraging. However, while I think such programs could conceivably help reduce the strain on public health resources from this small group of chronically homeless, I have to wonder about the other 90% of our nation's homeless. What do we do for the single mothers and children, who make up almost half of the homeless population? Where's their free apartment?