Legislative Updates 
Program Design
When designing your community’s program for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), it is important to consider a number of factors. An effective prevention and re-housing system has three layers: prevention, shelter diversion, and Rapid Re-housing. Resources should be targeted to households with the highest likelihood of becoming homeless. In addition, programs should provide just enough assistance to prevent or end an episode of homelessness, stretching resources as far as possible.
Another important aspect of program design is coordinating your HPRP program with other funds. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) included a number of resources that can be used in conjunction with HPRP grants to help prevent and end homelessness, including a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Contingency Fund. Streamlining funding and coordinating programs is an important aspect of ensuring that your homeless system is as effective as possible in preventing and ending homelessness. Please see below for additional information on program design, including how to coordinate your HPRP program with other funds.
The materials below provide additional resources on how to design your prevention, diversion, or re-housing program.
Organizational Change: Adopting a Housing First Approach
This document can help organizations that are planning to use HPRP resources to shift their organization's approach toward a rapid re-housing model.
Homelessness Prevention: Creating Programs that Work
The National Alliance to End Homelessness has published this guide and companion to help organizations create a homelessness prevention program or improve an existing prevention program.
Rapid Re-Housing: Creating Programs that Work
The National Alliance to End Homelessness has published this guide to help organizations develop Rapid Re-Housing programs.
HPRP Guide for Homeless Youth
This presentation by the Alliance provides information on how to use the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) to provide housing for homeless and at-risk youth.
Who to Serve - Targeting Those with Highest Risk Factors
This one-pager discusses how to target assistance toward those with the greatest risk of becoming homeless. It was used during a June 23, 2009 webinar entitled "Implementing HPRP in Rural Areas."
Homelessness Prevention and Re-Housing: Key Partnerships
This paper explores key partnerships that communities should consider for both the planning and program design stage and the implementation, oversight, and evaluation stage of their HPRP program.
Housing Location
Housing location is a core function of a good prevention and re-housing program. Many programs have staff whose sole function is housing location. Other programs have staff who split time between housing location and case management. This brief includes tips on how to locate and then acquire affordable housing units for your homeless or at-risk clients.
New Funding for Homeless Youth Services and Housing
New Funding for Homeless Youth Services and Housing This brief includes information on new funding benefiting homeless youth in ARRA and the HPRP program. It offers local organizations serving homeless youth action steps, ideas, and model programs on re-housing and prevention for homeless youth, information on establishing a framework for youth homelessness prevention and re-housing, and details regarding other federal appropriations benefiting homeless youth.
Using HPRP and TANF Funds to Help Homeless and At-Risk Families
This presentation provides information on the HPRP and TANF Emergency Contingency Fund programs from the economic recovery act. The presentation includes an overview of each fund, information on opportunities for collaboration, steps to take, and suggestions on how to be part of the solution to homelessness.
Coordinating Prevention and Re-Housing Initiatives: TANF Programs
Local planners can improve the effectiveness of their local HPRP efforts by coordinating with TANF agencies. This one-pager provides an overview of ways in which communities can coordinate HPRP and TANF resources.
TANF Emergency Contingency Fund
Up to $5 billion is available to states under the economic recovery act for the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund. This brief explores how improving TANF agencies' capacity to work in concert with local efforts to prevent homelessness and re-house families can be used effectively to improve outcomes and end homelessness.
UPDATED: Additional ARRA Homelessness Resources
The economic recovery act also included funding for several other programs that aid homeless individuals and families. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of some of these programs. It also highlights resources that provide more information on each program.
