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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