Alternative Shelter Models to Address Rapidly Rising Family Homelessness: The Master Leasing of Apartments as Emergency Shelter

Prior to the current recession, homeless families already comprised one of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. The present "perfect storm" of mounting unemployment, deepening poverty, and the mortgage meltdown has left many, if not most, communities across the country ill prepared to deal with rapidly rising family homelessness, because homeless assistance programs and systems were already struggling to provide appropriate emergency response for homeless parents and their children.

While rapid rehousing of homeless families, or "housing first," is the preferable approach for most families, the reality is that efforts to identify rental units, provide subsidies when necessary, and assist families in moving in, often takes time. Even as localities and agencies across the country are transitioning to various "housing first" models, the need for families to be sheltered during the process remains constant. Many communities, however, do not have sufficient shelter capacity or may not have any capacity at all, as is common in most rural and some suburban areas of the country. Even in the metropolitan areas that have relatively substantial shelter infrastructure, the current economic turmoil and attendant increases in family homelessness are challenging the ability of these Continuums of Care to respond to the needs of vulnerable families.

In response to these environmental conditions, Beyond Shelter has been experimenting with alternative emergency shelter models. Currently, the agency is conducting a small-scale pilot project utilizing funds previously allocated to motel vouchers to master lease scattered site apartments from private landlords for use as emergency shelter. Due to the stark mismatch between the number of shelter units in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care and the number of homeless families in need of shelter, Beyond Shelter has been exploring the viability of this alternative shelter model as a relatively quick, efficient, and family-friendly means to expand shelter capacity.

Prior to the current pilot, the agency conducted a larger scale demonstration project using this alternative shelter model in conjunction with a "housing first" approach. Using data from this project, Beyond Shelter's Institute for Research, Training and Technical Assistance has prepared a preliminary analysis of the social and financial benefits of using master leased apartments in the community at-large, as an alternative to conventional shelter options, including facility-based programs and motels.

Click here to view the Alternatives to Shelter Policy Brief. (This brief can also be requested via email at institute@beyondshelter.org).

Policy Paper on Permanent Housing and Services Models to End and Prevent Family Homelessness

During the present economic crisis, discussions of labels and definitions of permanent housing and services models to address family homelessness might seem meaningless or purely academic. It would seem that immediate action to address the escalating problem would be more important. Such discussions, however, should not be viewed as conflicting with proactive measures to address family homelessness, but rather as complementary to those efforts for two related reasons.

First, efforts to formulate policies to combat family homelessness are challenged by the limited state of our knowledge base. There is a gap in the literature on best practice service models that address the needs of homeless families. Second, given the lack of knowledge about best practices, as well as rising family homelessness, it is imperative that practitioners continue to test, develop, and refine a wide range of housing and services initiatives until such time that an evidence base exists to better inform program development and the targeting of funding and interventions to specific subgroups. Fundamental to these efforts is the development of a common language to describe and differentiate these initiatives and, ultimately, to support policy making. Such a language, however, does not currently exist.

This paper is an effort to help develop a common language and to simplify what is sometimes a confusing set of models, programs, and approaches to ending family homelessness for particular subgroups among the target population. The paper seeks to clarify and advance the present dialogue around permanent housing options linked to services by distinguishing between available models for families using an existing typology; explaining the flexibility of different models in meeting various family needs; and cautioning against the "tracking" of families, in the absence of a documented evidence base, into particular program types based on household characteristics, political trends, and/or the availability of such housing.

Click here to view the paper. (This paper can also be requested via email at institute@beyondshelter.org).

Seaver Institute - Longitudinal Study of "Housing First" Program Participants
Funded by the Seaver Institute

In November 2004, Beyond Shelter completed the first longitudinal study of the long-term impact of a "housing First" Program in the United States. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the longer-term outcomes for 200 homeless families who participated in Beyond Shelter's "housing First" Program from 1997 to 2001. The study evaluated 63 of the original 97 families who participated in the Pew Study (evaluating the program’s short-term effectiveness in 2001) and 137 families who participated in the program from 1997 to 1999. A defined set of client outcome indicators was analyzed, including residential tenure, family stability, social functioning, income, employment status and health of the household.

After two years of formal evaluation, study findings have demonstrated that the program methodology is successful in promoting long-term stabilization for homeless families, including families with multiple problems. These results, once disseminated, will help guide the continued development of the "housing First" Program methodology nationwide. Furthermore, this study has engendered interest in developing specialized research, based upon its results, on a variety of target populations, including: emancipated youths, single parents ages 18-24, chronically homeless families, families with a history of domestic violence or substance abuse, and families who have reached their five-year TANF time limits. Research was conducted through a research team from Beyond Shelter's Institute for Research, Training and Technical Assistance and the University of Southern California's School of Social Work.

Click here to view the Seaver Policy Brief. (This brief can also be requested via email at institute@beyondshelter.org).

Neighborhood-Based Services Coordination 
Demonstration Project
Funded by The California Endowment

In February 2004, Beyond Shelter completed the second and final year of its grant agreement with The California Endowment ?the implementation of the Neighborhood-Based Services Coordination Pilot Project at Broadway Village I. A component of the Broadway South Neighborhood Revitalization Project, the purpose of the grant was to pilot a model for providing service information, referrals and comprehensive case management to residents of the neighborhood surrounding Broadway Village I. The project was based on Beyond Shelter's Neighborhood-Based Services Coordination initiative, in which scarce community resources are maximized through the building and strengthening of partnerships with local service providers. Through case management support and the coordination of social services, the project aimed to help residents improve their health and well-being, reduce the barriers associated with poverty, increase their participation in the decision-making process and ultimately enhance the quality of their lives. Information gained from the tracking and evaluation components of this project will help to both enrich and inform the agency’s development and dissemination of the basic model.

Pew Partnership Initiative - Wanted: Solutions for America
Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts

Beyond Shelter's Housing First" Program for Homeless Families was identified by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change as one of 19 sites nationwide to participate in a two-year evaluation initiative, Wanted: Solutions for America (2000-2001). This was a national evaluation effort to document and disseminate successful strategies for building stronger communities. Participation in this study enabled Beyond Shelter to document the impact of the "Housing First" program methodology on the lives of 97 high-risk homeless families, six months after being placed in permanent housing. The  research clearly indicated that homeless families were able to reintegrate back into a community and develop stable living patterns, when supportive services were provided for at least six months after the move into permanent housing. Research was conducted by the University of Southern California, in conjunction with the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University. 

Click here to read the Pew Partnership Evaluation about the research.

Welfare-to-Work Demonstration Project 
Funded by the Federal Department of Labor

This $1.2 million, 30-month project from 1998-2001 provided job placement and retention services to over 200 hard-to-employ, primarily single females, who had been long-term recipients of Temporary Aid to Needy Families. The project focused on stabilizing participants in permanent housing as an essential supporting factor for their employment. Case managers provided one year of case management services subsequent to each participant's employment to ensure their long-term job retention. 

All of the participants in the program faced major barriers to employment, such as lack of education, poor work histories or recovery from drug and/or alcohol addictions. Over 90 percent of participants were minority, single female heads of household. The program utilized Beyond Shelter's team approach methodology, which involves a collaboration between a case manager and an employment counselor. Case managers addressed the needs of the family as a whole, while employment counselors worked exclusively on employment-related issues.  

At the project's end, Beyond Shelter had exceeded its goal, serving 265 participants, with 206 successfully completing the program. Of those, 102 were placed in unsubsidized employment and 86 in subsidized employment. The research center at the University of Southern California, School of Social Work served as project evaluator.

For more information, see the Welfare to Work Demonstration Project Program.

Moving to Opportunity Demonstration Project
Funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

This five-city (Boston, New York, Chicago, Baltimore and Los Angeles ) demonstration project was conducted in 1995-1996 in collaboration with the Housing Authority of Los Angeles and was designed to help families move from public housing projects to low-poverty census tracks neighborhoods. It involved the provision of long-term case management to help families transition to social and economic self-sufficiency.

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