Homelessness

Using qualitative and quantitative data, this report discusses the history, performance, and progress of the District of Columbia Frequent Users Service Enhancement Pilot Program, implemented by the Corporation for Supportive Housing. As a supportive housing reentry program focused on disabled individuals with histories of homelessness and incarceration, the program intended to provide housing and coordinate services for 50 "frequent users" leaving the city jail. Over the first year of operations, the program successfully identified and targeted more than a dozen frequent users and linked them to supportive housing through effective cross-system coordination. Policy implications of the evaluation findings are discussed.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Corporation for Supportive Housing Ohio Office developed a pilot program that provides permanent supportive housing to individuals released from several Ohio prisons. The Pilot intends to reduce recidivism and homelessness/shelter usage and decrease the costs associated with multiple service system use. The Urban Institute is evaluating the Pilot to determine whether it is meeting its intended goals. This Interim Report discusses the results of a re-arrest analysis, comparing the outcomes of individuals who received permanent supportive housing to those who did not. Implications from the analysis are also discussed.

As foreclosures have been sweeping the nation in the past few years, the effect of the crisis on children tends to be overlooked. In this brief, the first of two, we discuss foreclosure trends as they relate to public school students living in Washington, D.C. between 2003 and 2008. In particular, we describe the demographic makeup of the students affected, the type of housing and neighborhoods in which they live, and the schools they attend. We conclude with recommendations for both the housing and education sectors in mitigating this crisis as the number of foreclosures continues to rise.

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 the RHI activities in three communities that received significant RHI investment and other jurisdictions. In addition, the report identifies challenges and lessons learned from the RHI to date.

This brief describes the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program (ECHY), summarizes the research, and outlines future research questions of concern to policymakers.

Homeless people in HUD-funded shelters and transitional and permanent supportive housing programs often need benefits and services from welfare, health, mental health, and other mainstream systems to help them stabilize their lives. Many find it hard to access these systems, however. As HUD homeless-related resources have shifted from 60 to 33 percent going to services in the past five years, this study's central question was how communities have compensated. We found that communities evolved smoothing, expanding, and changing mechanisms to reduce access barriers and that highly organized communities were most successful. But federal program regulations limit what local communities can accomplish.

This report addresses two questions: 1) What happens to homeless families who "graduate" from HUD-funded transitional housing (TH)? and 2) What factors affect housing, employment, and children's well-being after TH? Project sites included Cleveland/Cuyahoga County, Detroit, Houston/Harris County, San Diego City and County, and Seattle/King County. 195 families were interviewed as they left TH, with 179 (92 percent) completing 12 month follow-up interviews. Certain aspects of TH programs and the way that mothers used them affected mothers' education and employment immediately after TH and employment 12 months later. Having a housing voucher at TH exit was the strongest predictor of stable housing during the year following TH, but had no effect on employment outcomes.

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.