People with severe mental illness and drug abuse problems aren’t going to be able to keep even an “affordable” home because they aren’t capable of maintaining steady income. In situations where homes are lost for other reasons, affordable housing can work, but there are usually long waiting lists and income restrictions that prevent residents from ever becoming self-sufficient, because if they earn enough to actually save their money, they can lose the benefits that qualified them in the first place. Poverty is self-reinforcing.