Affordable and Supportive Housing
“No other President in our history better understands what a precious resource public housing is to communities, to our country, and to our future.” – HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan
For most individuals and families, homelessness is caused by the gap between their income and the cost of housing in their community. More affordable housing is needed for people with extremely low-incomes who are most at risk of homelessness. Unfortunately, national data show the trend moving in the opposite direction: real rents have increased while real renter incomes are now below 1980 levels.
To stem this problem, federal, state, and local governments and agencies need to make it possible for individuals and families with extremely low incomes to stay in their homes or access more stable housing before becoming homeless. Expanding the supply of affordable housing is critical to preventing homelessness, and targeting housing subsidies to those most at risk will enable these vulnerable families and individuals to stay off the street and out of shelters.
Further, the most successful intervention for ending chronic homelessness is permanent supportive housing, which couples affordable, community-based housing with supportive services that target the specific needs of an individual or family. Supportive housing has been shown to be a cost-effective solution in communities across the country when targeted to people with the most extensive needs, including individuals with mental illness, chemical dependency, HIV/AIDS, and other co-occurring conditions.
Public Housing Agencies have a special role to play in preventing and ending homelessness.
Below, users will find information and resources focused on topics related to affordable and supportive housing, including:
- Developing and operating permanent supportive housing
- Increasing access to mainstream housing (e.g. Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers)
- Housing finance strategies
- Housing counseling
Blog
Homelessness and Human Rights
What We're Talking About: The Week at USICH - October 15-19
Keep an Eye on Portland, Oregon: The New Coordinated Care Organization
NLIHC Releases New Report on Renters in Foreclosure
Helping PHAs End Homelessness through Supportive Housing
What We're Talking About: The Week at USICH - September 10-14
New Research on Who Applies for and Receives Mainstream Rental Assistance
A Unique Permanent Supportive Housing Plan and Using Medicaid to Make it Happen: My time in Louisiana
The Siemer Institute on Family Stability: Maintaining Housing Stability to Ensure Academic Success
Why PHAs?
Housing First: a movement goes mainstream
Helpful Websites
Homeless Resource Exchange
http://www.hudhre.info/ HUD Homeless Resource Exchange is a one stop resource for service providers working with individuals ...
Corporation for Supportive Housing
http://www.csh.org/ The Corporation for Supportive Housing's mission is to increase the number of permanent supportive housing ...
News
Corporation for Supportive Housing releases new Public Housing Authority (PHA) toolkit
Today the Corporation for Supportive Housing released a new resource for Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) and other stakeholders ...
Programs
Community Development Block Grants
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is a flexible ...
Home Investment Partnerships (HOME)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Home Investment Partnerships Program, known as the HOME Program, is a ...
Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH)
Participating VA medical centers (VAMCs) were selected based on factors such as the population of homeless Veterans needing services ...
Housing Choice Voucher Program
The Housing Choice Voucher program is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, ...
Housing Counseling Program
The Housing Counseling Program delivers a wide variety of housing counseling services to homebuyers, homeowners, low- to ...
Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS
The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program is the only Federal program dedicated to the housing needs of people ...
Public Housing Program
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Public Housing Program was established to provide decent and safe rental ...
Rural Development
Rural Development funds help many individuals living in rural America find the tools they need to find and stay in housing, and ...
Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation for Single Room Occupancy Dwellings
The Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation for Single Room Occupancy Dwellings (Section 8 Mod Rehab/SRO) program provides rental assistance ...
Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities
The Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Program provides capital advances to nonprofit organizations for the ...
Services in Supportive Housing
The Services in Supportive Housing (SSH) program was created to help prevent or reduce chronic homelessness by funding services for ...
Shelter Plus Care
The Shelter Plus Care Program (S+C) is permanent supportive housing designed to link rental assistance to supportive services for hard ...
Related Research
Impact of a Housing First Program on Health Utilization Outcomes Among Chronically Homeless Persons
Malini B. DeSilva, Julie Manworren and Paul Targonski September 2011 The authors examined the impact of a Housing First program on ...
Final Report: A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Sound Families Initiative
Jami Bodonyi, Laura Orlando, Briana Yancey, Renee Lamberjack, and Oma McClaughlin September 2008 Launched in 2000, Sound Families ...
Worst Case Housing Needs 2009: A Report to Congress
Barry L. Steffen, Keith Fudge, Marge Martin, Maria Teresa Souza, David A. Vandenbroucke, Yung-Gann David Yao February 2011 The ...
Housing Choice Voucher Marketing Opportunity Index: Analysis of Data
Kirk McClure Feburary 2011 Housing Choice Voucher Marketing Opportunity Index: Analysis of Data at the Tract and Block Group ...
Housing Patterns of Low Income Families With Children
Daniel Gubits, Jill Khadduri and Jennifer Turnham September 2009 Housing Patterns of Low Income Families With Children: Further ...
Public Opinion and Affordable Housing: A Review of the Literature
J. Rosie Tigue August 2010 Public support for planning programs and initiatives are an important component of its success but ...
Addressing Homelessness among People with Mental Illnesses: A Model of Long-Term Philanthropic Effectiveness
Ruth Tebbets Brousseau May 2009 Foundations are often criticized for their short attention spans and inability to continue funding ...
Does One Size Fit All? What We Can and Can't Learn from a Meta-analysis of Housing Models for Persons with Mental Illness
H. Stephen Leff, Clifton M. Chow, Renee Pepin, Jeremy Conley, I. Elaine Allen and Christopher A. Seaman April 2009 Numerous ...
Does One Size Fit All? What We Can and Can't Learn from a Meta-analysis of Housing Models for Persons with Mental Illness
H. Stephen Leff, Clifton M. Chow, Renee Pepin, Jeremy Conley, I. Elaine Allen and Christopher A. Seaman April 2009 Numerous ...
A Cost Analysis of San Diego County's REACH Program for Homeless Persons
Todd P. Gilmer, Ph.D., Willard G. Manning, Ph.D. and Susan L. Ettner, Ph.D. April 2009 This study examined mental health service ...
Minnesota: Supportive Housing Improves Lives of Formerly Homeless Individuals and Families
National Center on Family Homelessness for Hearth Connection March 2009 An evaluation of the Minnesota Supportive Housing and ...
The Impact of Supportive Housing on Surrounding Neighborhoods: Evidence from New York City
Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy , New York University November 2008 While studies have shown that supportive ...
Leveraging Medicaid: A Guide to Using Medicaid Financing in Supportive Housing
Corporation for Supportive Housing and Technical Assistance Collaborative July 2008 Medicaid plays a critical role in financing ...
Permanent Housing For Homeless Families: A Review of Opportunities and Impediments
Jill Khadduri and Bulbul Kaul Fall 2007 This report focuses on the role of federally funded rental housing subsidies in helping ...
Impact of Supported Housing on Clinical Outcomes
An-Lin Cheng, Haiqun Lin, Wesley Kasprow, Robert A. Rosenheck January 2007 In 1992, the US Department of Housing and Urban ...
Effects of Housing Choice Vouchers on Welfare Families
Gregory Mills, Daniel Gubits, Larry Orr, David Long, Judie Feins, Bulbul Kaul, and Michelle Wood September 2006 This report ...
Tenant Outcomes in Supported Housing and Community Residences in New York
Carole E. Siegel, Judith Samuels, Dei-In Tang, Ilyssa Berg, Kristine Jones and Kim Hopper July 2006 This study examines whether ...
Evaluation of the Sound Families Initiative, Early Exits: Lessons Learned from Families Asked to Leave Transitional Housing Programs
Jami Bodonyi, Laura Orlando, Briana Yancey, and Renee Lamberjack April 2006 In 2000, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ...
Predicting Staying In or Leaving Permanent Supportive Housing
Yin-Ling Irene Wong, Trevor R. Hadley, Dennis P. Culhane, Steve R. Poulin, Morris R. Davis, Brian A. Cirksey, and James L. ...
Family Permanent Supportive Housing: Preliminary Researchon Family Characteristics, Program Models, and Outcomes
Ellen L. Bassuk, Nicholas Huntington, Cheryl H. Amey, Kim Lampereur February 2006 Homelessness in America is a tragic and ...
A Narrative Approach to the Evaluation of Supportive Housing Stories of Homeless People Who Have Experienced Serious Mental Illness
Geoffrey Nelson , Juanne Clarke, Angela Febbraro, and Maria Hatzipantelis Fall 2005 In this study, researchers employ a narrative ...
Taking Health Care Home: Baseline Report on PSH Tenants, Programs, Policies
Martha R. Burt July 2005 In 2003, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded CSH $6 million over two years for the Taking Health ...
The Evidence on Supported Housing
Debra J. Rog May 2006 This study reviews the evidence base for supported housing that was initially prepared for the Texas ...
Final report on the evaluation of the Closer to Home Initiative
Susan Barrow 2004 This is the final report on the evaluation of the Closer to Home Initiative, a program developed by the ...
Moving to Opportunity and Tranquility: Neighborhood Effects on Adult Economic Self-Sufficiency and Health from a Randomized Housing Voucher Experiment
Jeffrey R. Kling 2004 The Moving to Opportunity (MTO) demonstration is a randomized housing mobility experiment in which families ...
Costs and Utilization in the Housing Choice Voucher Program
Meryl Finkel, Jill Khadduri, Victoria Main, Linda Pistilli, Claudia Solari, Kristin Winkel, and Michelle Wood July 2003 HUD, ...
Outcomes of Homeless Adults with Mental Illness in Housing
Colleen Clark and Alexander R. Rich January 2003 This study compares the effectiveness of two types of service programs in ...
Rebuilding Lives: the Impact of Supportive Housing
Kimberly Bayer, Maria T. Barker 2002 This evaluation measured the progress of tenants living in supportive housing financed by ...
Study on Section 8 Voucher Success Rates Vol 1. Quantitative Study of Success Rates in Metropolitan Areas
Meryl Finkel and Larry Buron November 2001 The Section 8 tenant-based voucher program is the largest subsidized housing program in ...
Referral and Housing Processes in a Long-Term Supported Housing Program for Homeless Veterans
Wesley J. Kasprow, Robert A. Rosenheck, Linda Frisman and Diane DiLella August 2000 The study examined client characteristics, ...
Public Service Reductions Associated with Placement of Homeless Persons with Severe Mental Illness
Dennis P. Culhane, Stephen Metraux, and Trevor Hadley January 2002 This article assesses the impact of public investment in ...
Resources for Accessing Technical Assistance
Services in Supportive Housing
Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA Services in Supportive Housing Program helps to prevent or reduce chronic ...
Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS)
Visit the HUD Homeless Resource Exchange Department of Housing and Urban Development, Community Planning and ...
Upcoming Events and Deadlines
National Alliance to End Homelessness Webinar on Retooling Transitional Housing
Corporation for Supportive Housing's fall conference, Health Begins At Home: Texas Health Systems and Supportive Housing.
USICH Webpages
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 ...
Videos and Webinars
Securing New Housing Opportunities through the Federal Section 811 Program
The Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) ...
