Geography: National

This resource is intended to support health centers in identifying some important components to effective programming for HIV+ individuals leaving carceral settings to ensure smooth linkage to care and housing following discharge.

Grants Pass Anniversary: A Moment to Refocus Community Response 

One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in  Grants Pass v. Johnson, affirming that local governments had the authority to enforce certain public camping bans, even when individuals experiencing homelessness have no access to shelter. While the ruling allows jurisdictions to employ law enforcement, which could include issuing tickets or making arrests to people sleeping or camping in public spaces, decades of research tell us the most effective response to unsheltered homelessness is a pathway off the streets and into stable housing. 

Across the country, local leaders are navigating rising rates of unsheltered homelessness and increasing public concern. We recognize that many policymakers want quick solutions to help individuals access the services and support they need and often prioritize temporary responses. While it is essential to create more housing that people experiencing homelessness can afford, it takes time and sustained investment. That’s why the strategies we choose in the short-term matter. 

When communities rely on the law enforcement and legal system as their primary response to unsheltered homelessness, they incur significantly higher public costs and make little difference in the rate of people sleeping outside. These enforcement-based approaches often make it harder for individuals to access housing and employment due to the imposition of criminal records and fines, disrupting contact with outreach workers, and the loss of possessions like IDs and medication. In fact, failing to invest in evidence-based strategies results in missed cost offsets of approximately $6,875 per person—resources that could otherwise be redirected toward more effective solutions. Those are the facts.

CSH supports immediate, actionable strategies that connect people to outreach, short-term housing options, and essential services. These approaches work, as the City of Dallas recently proved – reaching an effective end to unsheltered homelessness.  

However, short-term responses alone are not enough. To truly reduce homelessness, we must continue to press for long-term solutions like increasing housing supply – especially supportive housing, which pairs housing with services such as mental health care, substance use treatment, and tenancy support.  

It is both possible and urgent that we address the rising number of people experiencing homelessness. Last year, we saw a record reduction in the number of veterans who were homeless – down almost 60% since 2010. This success is due in large part to the ongoing and increasing investment in the Veterans Administration Supportive Housing (VASH) program. If we can solve homelessness among veterans, surely, we can implement this winning approach more broadly, especially at a time when there is an alarming increase in the number of aging adults experiencing homelessness for the first time. 

The anniversary of Grants Pass v. Johnson is a moment to reflect and refocus. We urge community leaders and lawmakers to prioritize responses that are grounded in evidence and designed to deliver lasting results. Now is the time to focus on what works – approaches that are accountable, fiscally responsible, and capable of delivering meaningful change. 

Speaking with supportive housing tenants about their finances can be challenging and sometimes uncomfortable. Income and expenses are often very private and sensitive matters for people. Being clear, direct, and respectful can help with navigating these discussions and ensuring tenants understand their rental obligations. This document is meant to serve as a primer for supportive housing staff (services and property management) on how to assist tenants with paying rent on time and in full (and how to help them when they can’t).

Rental and operating subsidies are critically important funding resources in supportive housing developments for people with extremely low incomes. Subsidies keep rents affordable while ensuring that the property owner has enough income to maintain and manage the property during the lifetime of the development. Subsidies ensure that tenants are less rent burdened by reducing their rent to no more than 30% of their income and that the building has sufficient revenue for operations.  As operating expenses increase, the revenue for the building must keep pace to cover these costs. Supportive housing providers should have a practice and policy to request increases annually or as eligible. Receiving subsidy increases when eligible provides more revenue to pay for maintenance and repairs, and ensures the building has funds to safely and stably house residents. This guide helps you understand how to implement this practice and resources for program specific rules.

This guide provides recommendations for existing housing developments that may need additional subsidies to serve an extremely low-income supportive housing population. If you created a supportive housing development but there were not enough subsidies available at the time of opening, are using subsidies that expired (e.g. Tenant Based Rental Assistance – TBRA), or want to replace a current subsidy that does not allow rent increases with one that does, this guide is for you.   Rental subsidies in supportive housing developments ensure affordability for residents while maintaining the project’s sustainability, bridging the gap between market rents and affordable rent for extremely low-income individuals and families. There are several government programs that support the inclusion of rental subsidies in supportive and affordable housing. Here are five approaches for owners and property managers to consider.

How Deborah’s Place Approaches Managing and Upgrading their Aging Properties

Deborah’s Place is the largest provider of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) in Chicago exclusively serving unaccompanied women who are experiencing homelessness. They serve more than 600 women a year with the following goal: once a woman comes to Deborah’s Place, they will never experience homelessness again. Deborah’s Place cares for their properties in a way that many providers strive to do. They use all the benefits of being a non-profit in finding creative approaches like philanthropy and volunteers to address and resolve challenges to keep their properties updated and well maintained. It is apparent in their housing stability outcomes that tenants like where they live and the services that come along with it, since Deborah’s Place maintains a 96% housing retention rate.

This guide helps supportive housing providers improve their relationships with local law enforcement. Fostering positive relationships between supportive housing staff and law enforcement can lead to better outcomes for supportive housing tenants and the broader community.

This includes reducing emergency response, addressing root causes around law enforcement engagement (e.g. mental health needs), enhancing public safety, and reducing criminalization of tenants. By working together, supportive housing providers and law enforcement can create a more compassionate and effective approach to addressing homelessness. 

This brief provides an analysis of how Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs) – which layout each jurisdiction’s plan for distributing Low-income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) – prioritize supportive housing development. It also offers guidelines that housing finance agencies and state leaders can use to begin closing the supportive housing gap across the country.

These briefs present information on federal housing voucher programs, such as the Family Unification Program (FUP), that child welfare and housing leaders can use to stabilize families through cross-sector partnerships. These briefs provide strategies for successfully administering FUP vouchers and identifying FUP eligible families. They also dispel common myths around the administration of FUP vouchers, so that these critical housing resources can be leveraged to to help strengthen families and keep children safe. Part 2 focuses on how to work successfully with housing partners to administer FUP vouchers for families .

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To access the Brief on Family Housing Vouchers – Part 1, follow the link below.

This brief titled Supportive Housing and Olmstead: State of the Conversation, February 2024, delves into critical considerations for policymakers and advocates amidst implementing state HCBS settings rule transition plans and endeavors to ensure compliance with the landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision. The essence of Olmstead lies in its vision to empower individuals with disabilities by fostering their seamless integration into communities and affording them the autonomy to choose supportive housing as a pathway to realizing this vision. This document recognizes the pivotal role of quality supportive housing in advancing these objectives and bolstering Money Follows the Person (MFP) initiatives across states.