HPRP Program Design

Resources in a prevention and re-housing system should be targeted to households with the highest likelihood of becoming homeless, and programs should provide just enough assistance to prevent or end an episode of homelessness - stretching resources as far as possible.
When designing and refining 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. Because the funds can be used for homelessness prevention, diversion, and re-housing activities, communities have an opportunity to use HPRP to transform their homelessness systems.

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 how to design your prevention, diversion, or re-housing program, including suggestions for coordinating your HPRP program with other funds.

Spotlight

Federal Policy Brief  |  January 6, 2012
This brief distills the Alliance's findings on how HPRP and other initiatives were implemented in numerous communities. It provides six recommendations for implementing the new ESG program.
Solutions Brief  |  November 25, 2009
This document provides a summary to the November 12, 2009 Virtual Discussion on HPRP Implementation. It contains 26 questions asked during the Virtual Discussion, along with the responses given by Alliance staff.

Library Resources

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Online Training  |  March 31, 2010
This online training, which includes both an audio and visual component, is the second in a series on rapid re-housing. It covers the program design and planning aspects of rapid re-housing, including assessment, design, and evaluation.
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Solutions Brief  |  April 16, 2009
This paper provides basic steps for using HPRP to facilitate the transformation of homeless assistance from a system organized around emergency shelter to one centered on housing stability. Although no community has perfected homeless assistance, the steps in this paper have been used in communities to spark the process of transformation.
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Solutions Brief  |  April 3, 2009
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.
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Federal Policy Brief  |  March 9, 2009
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.