View Research by Author - Martha R. Burt

More about Martha R. Burt's areas of expertise can be found on this Urban Institute expert's page.

Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/MarthaRBurt

In 2006, the Corporation for Supportive Housing launched its Returning Home Initiative (RHI) with two goals: 1) to establish permanent supportive housing as an essential reentry component for formerly incarcerated persons with histories of homelessness, mental illness, and chronic health conditions; and 2) to promote local and national policy changes to integrate the corrections, housing, mental health, and human service systems. The Urban Institute assessed the process of system change stimulated by RHI activities in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago—three communities receiving significant RHI investment. This brief summarizes the influence of RHI-funded activities in each of these cities.

The rising poverty and unemployment rates triggered by the recession are stark reminders of the need for a secure social safety net. Such programs should provide economic security, protect vulnerable families, and promote equality—but the United States falls behind other countries in accomplishing these goals. In Repairing the U.S. Social Safety Net, Martha R. Burt and Demetra Smith Nightingale encourage strengthening the safety net and making a national commitment to end poverty.

With the generous support of the William S. Abell Foundation, the Urban Institute (UI) surveyed District permanent supportive housing (PSH) agencies and specific PSH projects, asking their staff to detail current projects and future ambitions. This research brief is an analysis of the stock of PSH in the District as of early fall 2008, demographic information on PSH tenants at that time, and a look at how the District might move forward toward fulfilling its commitment to create 2,500 new units of PSH and ultimately eliminating chronic homelessness.

This, the fourth evaluation report for this project, describes extensive developments in Los Angeles during 2007-2008 and how they build on earlier work. The pipeline for permanent supportive housing is expanding, as are activities to improve the health of homeless people, smooth the transition from jail to community, and address the needs of the most vulnerable homeless people. Numerous coordinating and collaborating structures have begun or are expanding as part of these developments. Cautious optimism is in order compared to four years ago, but there is still a long way to go.

As part of the Reentry Housing Forum, "Reducing the Revolving Door of Incarceration and Homelessness in the District of Columbia," this paper presents the number of days of jail and shelter and the number of responses by Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) for people using the D.C. Jail between October 1, 2004 and March 31, 2008, public emergency shelters between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007, and FEMS between January 1 and August 31, 2008, as well as the cost of these services to District agencies.

As part of the Reentry Housing Forum, "Reducing the Revolving Door of Incarceration and Homelessness in the District of Columbia," this paper presents the number of people who used jail only; shelter only; jail and shelter; jail, shelter, and Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS); multiple spells in each, and a mental illness disability, for people using the D.C. Jail between October 1, 2004 and March 31, 2008, public emergency shelters between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007, and FEMS between January 1 and August 31, 2008.

As part of the Reentry Housing Forum, "Reducing the Revolving Door of Incarceration and Homelessness in the District of Columbia," this paper reports the extent to which currently available permanent supportive housing serves ex-offenders, as well as the willingness of supportive housing providers to serve this population if appropriate supportive services are available.

As part of the Reentry Housing Forum, "Reducing the Revolving Door of Incarceration and Homelessness in the District of Columbia," this paper presents the number of days of jail and shelter and the number of responses by Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) for people using the D.C. Jail between October 1, 2004 and March 31, 2008, public emergency shelters between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007, and FEMS between January 1 and August 31, 2008, as well as the cost of these services to District agencies.

In this commentary for The Washington Post, researchers Martha Burt and Sam Hall recommend, among other things, that Washington, D.C., offer permanent supportive housing to those who have been homeless the longest or have the most severe forms of disability. Making major changes in its data system would help the city have real-time information regarding homeless people.

This report, the first of three completed under contract to the D.C. Department of Human Services to assess the District of Columbia's homeless assistance system, examines seven functions that The Community Partnership manages for the District. These include contracting for emergency shelter; orchestrating the District's Continuum of Care; managing and monitoring contracts between homeless service providers and DHS, HUD, and DHCD; quality assurance and program monitoring; rule setting related to provider and client rights and obligations; data collection and analysis; and performance standards and client outcomes. Findings feed into and helped shape the final recommendations offered in the second and third reports.

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