Advancing Vulnerable Populations

Aging Adults

What is often referred to as the "invisible population," (homeless and formerly homeless elders age 50 and older), can no longer be overshadowed or overlooked. The population has grown significantly, nearly half all single homeless adults are over age 50. Supportive housing, is also experiencing a "graying" tenant population that calls for changes to the way that quality supportive housing is delivered. CSH provides the tools and solutions to promote healthy aging in supportive housing.

Child Welfare Involved Families

Resources

For most families, homelessness is a short, episodic event that usually can be addressed with a housing subsidy or affordable housing options. Some families, however, face more serious challenges to housing stability. CSH is undertaking a strategic effort to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, child welfare involvement, and poor outcomes for vulnerable families with children. For families involved with the child welfare system, our signature initiative, Keeping Families Together (KFT) uses supportive housing as the foundation that keeps families united under one roof. KFT increases access to affordable housing and essential wrap-around services for the whole family. Services available through the KFT model can help parents struggling with the overwhelming burden of poverty and complex health needs to improve their lives, family stability, and overall well-being. Through One Roof, CSH is elevating the visibility of vulnerable, at-risk families and the need for an improved and integrated policy response through the availability and targeting of supportive housing for families caught in this cycle. Visit the One Roof Website at 1RoofFamilies.org or click here for more resources.

Screening for Family Housing Stability

CSH and its partners call for community-based family service organization and public child welfare agencies to ensure families in crises remain in safe, quality, and affordable housing. Click here for information for child welfare and community-based family support agencies on how to integrate screenings in their case management protocols.

Chronically Homeless Individuals

As the supply of affordable, supportive housing has increased, chronic homelessness has declined nationwide. We know that supportive housing works and has become a main-stream intervention to end chronic homelessness and address rising costs in healthcare and other crisis services for vulnerable individuals.

Justice Involved

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Some people with substance dependence and behavioral or mental health needs cycle between homelessness and incarceration for months or years due to a national failure to invest adequately in critical services and community-identified supports. CSH has worked alongside communities for decades as they have constructed housing models to expand access to housing for people impacted by the justice system.

Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

There have been increased efforts to assist individuals who are institutionalized or housed in other segregated settings toward integrated, community-based housing. Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) should have access to a range of community- based housing like supportive housing and flexible services that allow them to lead lives of dignity and maximum independence.

Youth

Young adults ages 18 to 24 are the largest growing homeless population in the country; homeless children and youth accounted for a third of the homeless population in 2014. CSH provides training, technical assistance and resources to housing and service providers on creating high-quality supportive housing for Transition Age Youth (TAY) aged 18-24 involved with homeless, juvenile justice and public child welfare systems; and on the use of the CSH-TAY Triage Tool.