By Kim Glovas

BRISTOL, Pa. (CBS) – A Bucks County organization has put into place a new idea for taking homeless men into homes and self-sufficiency. It all started after a Bristol homeless encampment was shut down last summer.

It’s called “The Way Home” and director James Richardson says it’s based on a model out of Seattle which places five men into a rental home, with support services if needed, like alcohol, drug or mental health treatment.

He says the Seattle model showed that 90-days in this environment boosted the self esteem of the men and allowed them to turn the corner.

“So 90-days was the benchmark. We started in June, so you’re talking June, July, August. Well by September, we had found that most of the men had integrated into the neighborhood, had become community members, not just neighbors, and were involved in lives of the people that they were living around,” says Richardson.

He says it costs $300 per month, per man. He says that compares to thousands of dollars per month in the traditional homeless shelter.

For more information visit: www.thewayhome.co.