New toolkit for converting transitional housing

Many communities around the country are repurposing or reallocating their transitional housing projects to create new rapid re-housing subsidies and permanent housing units.

Our new Transitional Housing Conversion: A Building Owner’s Toolkit offers transitional housing building owners a step-by-step guide to addressing funding and use restrictions.

With the next Continuum of Care Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) right around the corner, now is a good time to think strategically about whether it is best to:

  • Keep existing transitional housing stock.
  • Re-purpose transitional housing to another program or housing type.
  • Re-allocate part or all of the transitional housing funding to another permanent housing model.

Communities should evaluate the needs of their system to make a strategic decision about what to do with existing transitional housing. While most households may not need the specialized services of a long-term congregate transitional housing program, communities may need to keep some limited transitional housing to be used for special populations or as shelter or other kinds of emergency housing for a potentially longer stay while waiting for permanent housing.

If you are still deciding whether a conversion is for you, this toolkit offers a Conversion and Reallocation Resource Guide with a series of tools for you to use.

Listen to the primary authors, Debbie Thiele and Katie Kitchin of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), provide an overview of the toolkit.