Created in 1988, Beyond Shelter's "Housing First" Program for Homeless Families is an innovative, cost-effective approach to ending and preventing family homelessness. The program helps homeless parents and children move as quickly as possible into affordable rental housing, and then provides families with six months to one full year of individualized case management support to enable them to attain improved social and economic well-being. Homeless families are referred to Beyond Shelter's program by more than 70 agencies - primarily shelter providers - for assistance in accessing resources to pay for housing and finding landlords willing to rent directly to them.

Since its inception, the "housing first" methodology, also known as rapid re-housing, has helped over four thousand homeless families - predominantly single mothers with children - to rebuild their lives in permanent rental housing located throughout Los Angeles County. Over the years, the "housing first" approach has become widely recognized as a model for ending family homelessness. It has now been adopted by the Federal Government as the leading strategy to combat family homelessness nationally.

Beyond Shelter's Housing Resources Department assists homeless families enrolled in the "Housing First" Program to access and move into permanent, affordable housing. Housing Resources Specialists seek out property owners and managers willing to rent to families who might not otherwise qualify for leases. Staff assist with lease negotiations, educate tenants regarding their rights and responsibilities and maintain relationships with landlords so that crisis intervention can occur immediately and a recurrence of homelessness can be averted. Both the City and County of Los Angeles allocate Section 8 rental assistance vouchers to Beyond Shelter each year for families in need of an ongoing housing subsidy.

Beyond Shelter Rental Assistance Department serves as the Central Coordinating Agency for numerous rental assistance programs throughout Los Angeles County. Over 60 agencies refer eligible clients to Beyond Shelter for emergency funds offered through two main programs: the Emergency Housing Assistance Program and the Rent to Prevent Eviction Program. The Emergency Housing Assistance Program, sponsored by the Emergency Food and Shelter Board, has two components: (1) move-in assistance for homeless families and disabled individuals, and (2) move-in and rent-to-prevent eviction assistance. As part of the Rent to Prevent Eviction Program sponsored by the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA), Beyond Shelter coordinates funds for families and disabled individuals who are currently in housing, but are at risk of becoming homeless.

In an era of welfare reform, Beyond Shelter's Employment Services Department seeks to help families become self-sufficient and off of government assistance. In addition to job placement support, an array of services is available to help clients reach their goals, including access to job listings, computers for their job search, and tutorials in typing and basic skills. Under Beyond Shelter's "team approach," a case manager and employment counselor work collaboratively on a client's behalf. This methodology was part of a 30-month Welfare-to-Work Demonstration Project by the U.S. Department of Labor from 1999-2001.

Service-enriched housing represents the incorporation of "services coordination" into affordable rental housing for the low-income population at-large, not necessarily targeted to those who are at-risk or with special needs. Beyond Shelter's service-enriched apartment complexes located in Central and South Los Angeles have provided the agency with a "laboratory" to test and refine this methodology. The properties include access to social services provided by an services coordinator, who oversees the provision of crisis intervention and case management services. Additionally, each service-enriched site has community rooms for classes and meetings. Resident management committees actively participate in many areas of operation and in the coordination of activities.

Beyond Shelter is leading a major Neighborhood Revitalization Project in South Los Angeles, which developed after the Civil Unrest in 1992, in response to critical housing and social services shortages in the area. In 1993 Beyond Shelter initiated the project with the development of Umoja Apartments (House of Unity), a 30-unit service-enriched housing complex which opened in 1996.

In 2001, Beyond Shelter opened Broadway Village I, a one-stop, multi-service center which includes the Beyond Shelter Neighborhood Services Center and a Child Development Center. A 16-unit service-enriched housing complex opened in July 2004.

In 2006, Beyond Shelter opened Broadway Village II, a 50-unit service-enriched housing complex. This project includes the Karsten Neighborhood Resource Center which opened in 2009, providing social services programs to residents in the community.

Central Village, an 85-unit mixed-use development over retail space, opened in 2009. This is a public/private partnership, built over 50,000 square feet of commercial space, including the first supermarket in the community in over five years.

The Beyond Shelter Housing Development Corp. is the development affiliate of Beyond Shelter, developing, managing and operating affordable housing and neighborhood resource centers in low-income neighborhoods, with a focus on service-enriched housing. BSHDC has developed several service-enriched and mixed-use housing projects primarily in Central and South Los Angeles, with additional projects in early stages of development. Each housing site offers a variety of programs for adults and children, including parenting and adult education seminars, as well as tutoring, enrichment and after-school activities.

Beyond Shelter's Institute for Research, Training and Technical Assistance conducts national and regional workshops; provides training and consulting services; and develops and distributes Beyond Shelter publications to share information with others and to promote systemic change.