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Wednesday, March 3, 2004

HUD Report Says Seven U.S. Cities are Models to Help End Homelessness

Acting Secretary Jackson yesterday released a Departmental report that cites homeless assistance programs in Birmingham, Alabama; Boston; Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; San Diego; and Seattle for their success at ending long-term or chronic homelessness.

The report -- Strategies for Reducing Chronic Street Homelessness -- says each city has local leaders and homeless assistance providers who are using non-traditional approaches toward serving those living on their streets.

Many chronically homeless individuals never graduate beyond the emergency shelter environment and that conventional strategies generally do not fully succeed in moving every type of homeless person out of homelessness.

These cities, however, have either developed entirely new strategies or successfully modified existing methods for meeting the complex needs of persons whose skills are often oriented toward survival on the streets, not living in housing.

The study finds five common elements as having contributed to the success of the cities. They include:

• Shifting the goals and approaches of the homeless assistance network toward a new paradigm
• Establishing a clear goal of reducing chronic street homelessness
• Committing to a community-wide level of collaboration
• Having leadership and an effective organizational structure
• Committing significant resources from mainstream housing and social service programs that go well beyond homeless-specific funding sources.

HUD has awarded a record $1.27 billion to thousands of local homeless assistance projects around the country.

More information about federal efforts to help the homeless and to end chronic homelessness is available on the Internet.