Building the Permanent Supportive Housing Pipeline
Supportive housing has been shown to be a cost-effective solution in communities across the country, particularly when targeted to people with the most extensive needs, including individuals with mental illness, chemical dependency, HIV/AIDS, and other co-occurring conditions. However, many – if not most – communities across the country are not producing or acquiring permanent housing fast enough to meet the needs of individuals and families experiencing chronic homelessness. As a result, it’s essential that communities take a more strategic approach to planning and tracking supportive housing production through the creation of a housing pipeline.
The following resources may be especially helpful to system planners, housing developers, and homeless service providers working to build their community’s supportive housing stock.
Toolkit for Advancing Systems Change developed by the Corporation for Supportive Housing, provides resources to communities looking to move from a piecemeal approach to developing PSH to a strong coordinated system.
Toolkit for Developing and Operating Supportive Housing developed by the Corporation for Supportive Housing, provides communities resources and sample documents for every phase of supportive housing development.
The Supportive Housing Training Series is a set of curricula from the Corporation for Supportive Housing meant for one day trainings for staff members developing supportive housing. The trainings address a wide array of issues—from housing financing and property management to program development and tenant/staff relationships.
Supportive Housing Financing Guide is a guide from the Corporation for Supportive Housing that outlines the federal funding streams for supportive housing and on what these funds can be used for.
Combining Affordable Housing Funding Sources developed by Building Changes, guides developers and advocates in gaining and managing multiple funding sources for a project.
Between the Lines: A Question and Answer Guide on Legal Issues in Supportive Housing developed by the Corporation for Supportive Housing, outlines the regulations and ways to address common legal dilemmas for supportive housing providers
NIMBY Risk Assessment and Decision Tree Tool is a HUD resource meant for case managers and advocates on ways to best build community support for their projects and overcome NIMBYism.
Home Works: Solving Family Homelessness through Permanent Supportive Housing from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, offers practical guidance on developing family supportive housing using case studies of success.
Banks are essential partners in developing the permanent supportive housing units needed to make ending chronic homelessness by 2015 a reality.
Toolkit for Banks: Investing in PSH to End Homelessness The Department of the Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s February 2012 e-zine focused on this issue with detailed information for banks on the needs for, benefits of, and mechanisms for financing PSH. The e-zine also includes a set of resources for banks as they consider helping build the PSH pipeline in communities around the country.
