Rapid Re-Housing
Last updated on December 10, 2015
Rapid re-housing is an intervention designed to help individuals and families quickly exit homelessness and return to permanent housing. Rapid re-housing assistance is offered without preconditions — like employment, income, absence of criminal record, or sobriety — and the resources and services provided are tailored to the unique needs of the household.
The Solution
Rapid re-housing has the following core components:
Housing Identification
- Recruit landlords to provide housing opportunities for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
- Address potential barriers to landlord participation such as concern about short term nature of rental assistance and tenant qualifications.
- Assist households to find and secure appropriate rental housing.
Rent and Move-In Assistance
- Provide assistance to cover move-in costs, deposits, and the rental and/or utility assistance (typically six months or less) necessary to allow individuals and families to move immediately out of homelessness and to stabilize in permanent housing.
Rapid Re-Housing Case Management and Services
- Help individuals and families experiencing homelessness identify and select among various permanent housing options based on their unique needs, preferences, and financial resources.
- Help individuals and families experiencing homelessness address issues that may impede access to housing (such as credit history, arrears, and legal issues).
- Help individuals and families negotiate manageable and appropriate lease agreements with landlords.
- Make appropriate and time-limited services and supports available to families and individuals to allow them to stabilize quickly in permanent housing.
- Monitor participants’ housing stability and be available to resolve crises, at a minimum during the time rapid re-housing assistance is provided.
- Provide or assist the household with connections to resources that help them improve their safety and well-being and achieve their long-term goals. This includes providing or ensuring that the household has access to resources related to benefits, employment, and community-based services (if needed and appropriate), so that they can sustain rent payments independently when rental assistance ends.
- Ensure that services provided are client-directed, respectful of individuals’ right to self-determination, and voluntary. Unless basic program-related case management is required by statute or regulation, participation in services should not be required to receive rapid re-housing assistance.
