Legislative Updates 
Opening the Back Door
A key step in ending homelessness is to quickly re-house everyone who becomes homeless - open the back door out of homelessness. Different subpopulations of homeless people require different housing strategies. The two major groups to consider are homeless families and homeless single adults. Both groups face system-based barriers to "getting out the back door."
Chronically Homeless People
The first and most important group to address when seeking to end homelessness is the group that lives in the shelter system - the chronically homeless. They represent 10% of the single homeless population, which itself represents approximately 50% of homeless people, over time. Applied to a national yearly estimate of 3 million homeless people, there are thought to be some 150,000 chronically homeless people in the nation.
The first and most important group to address when seeking to end homelessness is the group that lives in the shelter system - the chronically homeless. They represent 10% of the single homeless population, which itself represents approximately 50% of homeless people, over time. Applied to a national yearly estimate of 3 million homeless people, there are thought to be some 150,000 chronically homeless people in the nation.
Few people in this chronic group are likely to ever generate significant earnings through wages. While they may have some income from wages and/or public benefits, they will require long term subsidization of both housing and services because of their disabilities.
Permanent supportive housing -- housing with appropriate and available services and supports -- is highly successful in stabilizing this population. To end homelessness for chronically homeless people would take 150,000 units of permanent supportive housing. We estimate the cost of creating and sustaining 150,000 units of permanent supportive housing to be $1.3 billion per year at the end of ten years. It is important to consider this cost on the context of savings that will be generated in spending on homeless services, Medicaid, incarceration and the like.
Episodically Homeless Group
The people who use shelter repeatedly, often called the episodically homeless group, constitute approximately 9% of the homeless single population or around 135,000 people . This group has a high public cost when housed in shelter because its members seem frequently to interact with other very costly public systems, particularly jails and prisons and hospitals. Many are active users of substances. They are young relative to the chronically homeless group.
This group requires a flexible strategy that addresses both their housing needs (both when in treatment and in relapse) and their need for treatment. When they are in treatment, or compliant with treatment regimens (i.e., clean and sober), supportive housing or private sector housing are good options. When they are unable to find acceptable treatment, or unwilling to partake in treatment or treatment regimens, other housing options must be found. Current policies in which episodically homeless people sleep in the street, in shelters, hospitals and penal institutions jeopardize public safety (primarily for them) and/or have high public costs.
There are different views about how best to address episodic homelessness. There are those who believe that many episodically homeless people are those currently unwilling to engage in treatment for addiction disorders. Therefore they believe that it is necessary to create a type of housing that recognizes the addiction, makes services available, but does not require sobriety. Models of so-called "low demand" housing exist, and it has further been suggested that low cost hostel or dormitory type housing with daily or weekly rental terms be developed. Others believe that most available treatment for addiction disorders is not appropriate for this group (too short term, no follow-up recovery or sober housing) and that the solution for the episodic group is a sufficient supply of appropriate treatment. Both options are probably needed, but further examination of this problem will be required before the most appropriate mix is identified.
Transitionally Homeless
Those who have relatively short stays in the homeless assistance system, exit it and return infrequently if at all have been called by Culhane the "transitionally" homeless . The majority of families and single adults who become homeless fall into this category. They have had a housing crisis that has resulted in their homelessness. Despite the near universal shortage of affordable housing for poor people, they will find a way to house themselves. Since the homeless system is unable to address the real cause of their problem - the overall national shortage of affordable housing - its best course of action is to facilitate their accommodation to this shortage and help them make it more quickly.
The Alliance recommends a HOUSING FIRST approach for most families. The focus is upon getting families very quickly back into housing and linking them with appropriate mainstream services - reducing their homelessness to an absolute minimum. The components of such a plan are:
- Housing services: to clear barriers such as poor tenant history, poor credit history, etc.; identify landlords; negotiate with landlord; etc.
- Case management services: to ensure families are receiving public benefits; to identify service needs; to connect tenants with community-based services.
- Follow-Up: To work with tenants after they are in housing to avert crises that threaten housing stability and to problem-solve.
There are exceptions to this strategy for which an interim type of housing is necessary prior to placement in permanent housing. Families in which the head of household has a chronic and longstanding illness such as alcohol or substance abuse disorder or mental illness may require treatment, with housing for family members, followed by an intermediate level of supportive housing that has appropriate services attached. This would follow the model described above for chronically homeless, chronically ill single people.
For families fleeing an immediate domestic violence situation, a Housing First approach is also unlikely to be effective. Such families typically need a period of from four to six months in a sheltered and secure environment in order to sever ties with the batterer. A major component of this transition, however, must be the identification of housing available at its completion.
Similarly for transitionally homeless single adults, the emphasis should be placed upon facilitating their move to permanent housing. Housing services, case management services and follow-up services can be effectively utilized to maximize housing stability.
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California's Homeless Assistance Program (HAP) provided 30 days of hotel accommodation plus move-in costs (rent deposits) for newly homeless families which were receiving welfare income support. The philosophy of the program was to prevent families experiencing a housing crisis from entering the shelter by giving them the financial resources to get quickly back into housing. Accordingly, virtually no services or referrals were provided. The cost was low - about $700 per family, but more than 60% of families were stabilized after six months.1
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Dealing differently with these major components of the homeless population will drastically change the dynamic of homelessness.
The current orientation is to keep people in the system for long periods of time, either because there is no place for them to go (chronically and episodically homeless), or because it is assumed that people are homeless because of some set of personal problems that can be "fixed" by the homeless system (families, transitionally homeless single adults). To end homelessness, a different approach can be taken. People should be placed in housing as rapidly as possible and linked to available services.
The current orientation is to keep people in the system for long periods of time, either because there is no place for them to go (chronically and episodically homeless), or because it is assumed that people are homeless because of some set of personal problems that can be "fixed" by the homeless system (families, transitionally homeless single adults). To end homelessness, a different approach can be taken. People should be placed in housing as rapidly as possible and linked to available services.
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This audio conference covered the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program.
This video highlights how communities across the country are decreasing homelessness among families. Thanks to the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it’s yours to use for free. 