No Place Like Home: Addressing Poverty and Homelessness in the United States

8/13/2019 No Place Like Home: Addressing Poverty and Homelessness in the United States

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No Place Like Home

Addressing Poverty and Homelessness in the United States

By Tracey Ross December 2013

WWW.AMERICANPROGRESS.O


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No Place Like HomeAddressing Poverty and Homelessness

in the United States

By Tracey Ross December 2013


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1 Introduction and summary

3 Defining homelessness

7 Federal efforts to combat homelessness

10 Local best practices

14 Recommendations

20 Conclusion

21 About the author

22 Acknowledgements

23 Endnotes

Contents


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1 Center for American Progress | No Place Like Home

Introduction and summary

Since the founding of our country, home has been the center of the American

dream. Stable housing is the foundation upon which everything else in a familys or

individuals life is builtwithout a safe, affordable place to live, it is much tougher

to maintain good health, get a good education or reach your full potential.1

Presiden Barack Obama

While owning a home is he cornersone o he American Dream, growing income

inequaliy, coupled wih an affordable housing crisis, makes mainaining sablehousing a challenge or millions o Americans. In his book,Making Room: Te

Economics of Homelessness,Columbia Universiy Proessor Brendan OFlahery

explains, Alhough homelessness in he pas was a phenomenon o economic

depression, much o he rise in he new homelessness has occurred in relaively

prosperous imes.2Trough his research, he shows ha around he 1980s, an

increase in inequaliy and a smaller middle class, made i more difficul or poor

people o acquire housing ha had been or-

merly used by he middle class.3In ac, oday,

almos hal o he homeless populaion in his

counry work bu do no earn enough income

o pay or housing.4

When examining he availabiliy o low-cos

housing over ime, he exen o which afford-

able housing is a barrier oday becomes clear.

According o he Insiue or Children,

Povery, and Homelessness, here were 300,000

more low-cos renal unis han low-income

rener households in 19706.5 million unisor 6.2 million households. By 1985, here was

an affordable housing shorall o 3.3 million

unis.5By 2011, he affordable housing shor-

age reached 5.3 million unis.6oday, only one

FIGURE 1

Disparity between need and availability of affordaunits for poor renters (in millions)

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

-1

1970 1978 1985 1991 1995 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 20

Sources: The Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness, A Home by Any Other Name

(2012), Figure 1B, available at http://www.icphusa.org/filelibrary/ICPH_PolicyBrief_AHomeByAnyOtherName.pdf; Joint Center for Housing Studies, The State of the Nations Housing 2013 (20available at http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/son2013.pdf.


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in our households eligible or renal subsidies acually receives assisance due o

overwhelming demand, orcing many amilies ono lenghy waiing liss.7

Homelessness occurs or a variey o reasons, bu i is clear ha povery, coupled

wih an ongoing affordable housing crisis, is a significan acor.8Tis is no sur-

prising, as income inequaliy has coninued o widen since he Grea Recession.9

Despie he ac ha ha here are many barriers oday o fighing homelessness,

he counry has also made srides in learning wha works. Over he pas eigh

years, homelessness among veerans and chronically homeless individuals has

declined significanly,10and communiies are making real progress in serving oher

amilies and individuals. Unorunaely, in many places, homelessness is beginning

o increase, and cus o imporan programs will no help.11Unil we commi o

advancing policies and pracices ha ackle he roo economic causes o homeless-

ness and increase he sock o affordable housing, we will no see he susained

progress we need.

Tis repor provides a summary o he sae o homelessness and povery in he

Unied Saes; gives an overview o ederal and local effors o end homeless-

ness; and offers recommendaions or serving homeless individuals and amilies,

increasing access o affordable housing, and addressing income inequaliy.


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Defining homelessness

Te U.S. Deparmen o Housing and Urban Developmens, or HUDs, definiion

o homelessness affecs who is eligible or various HUD-unded homeless assisance

programs. Overall, an individual or amily is considered homeless i hey live in an

emergency sheler, ransiional housing program, sae haven, or a place no mean or

human habiaion.12Specifically, he definiion includes our broad caegories:13

1. Individuals or amily lacking a fixed, regular, and adequae nightime residence,

meaning ha hey sleep in a place no designed or sleeping accommodaionssuch as a car or a park; live in a emporary sheler; or are exiing an insiuion,

such as a jail or a hospial, where hey resided only emporarily and were con-

sidered homeless under he firs wo crieria prior o enering he insiuion

2. Individuals or amilies who will imminenly lose heir primary nightime

residence wihin 14 days, have no subsequen residence idenified, and lack he

resources or suppor neworks needed o obain oher permanen housing

3. Unaccompanied youh or amilies wih children who mee he homeless defini-

ion under anoher ederal saue and addiional crieria ha define an unsable

living siuaion

4. Individuals or amilies fleeing or atemping o flee domesic violence or lie-hrea-

ening condiions wih no subsequen residence, resources, or suppor neworks

Subpopulations

Homelessness is caused by a variey o acors, so i is imporan o differeniaebeween subpopulaions o beter undersand wha we mean when we discuss

homelessness. In addiion, while his repor primarily ocuses on individuals and

amilies who experience homelessness due o economic acors, here is much o

be learned rom addressing homelessness across subpopulaions.


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Chronic individuals

Among he mos visible people experiencing homelessness

are chronically homeless individuals, bu hey only make up

abou 18 percen o he homeless populaion.14Overall, chronic

homelessness has declined by 16 percen since 2010, largelydriven by decreases in he number o people in shelers. Te

number o chronically homeless people living on he sree only

declined by a modes 5 percen.15People are considered chroni-

cally homeless i hey have a disabling condiion and have been

homeless or a year or more or have experienced a leas our

spells o homelessness over he pas hree years.16Chronically

homeless people are among he mos vulnerable people in he

homeless populaion, as hey end o suffer rom severe menal

illness and/or subsance abuse problems. Tese individuals ofen

rely on crisis-driven sysems, such as emergency rooms and evenjails, or sheler and oher services.17Many communiies have

collaboraed on ending chronic homelessness wih he suppor

o ederal policies in he pas decade. As a resul, he number o

individuals experiencing chronic homelessness decreased 16

percen rom 2010 o 2013.18

Veterans

Veerans ofen become homeless due o war-relaed disabiliies and pos-rau-

maic sress. Veerans currenly comprise almos 10 percen o he homeless

populaion, bu homelessness programs argeing veerans have been successul

in recen years.19In 2010, Veerans Affairs Secreary Eric Shinseki se an ambi-

ious goal o ending veeran homelessness by 2015.20Te mos recen analysis

rom he U.S. Deparmen o Veerans Affairs, or VA, and HUD esimaes ha

here were roughly 57,849 homeless veerans in January 2013, an 8 percen

decline rom 2012 and a 24 percen decline since 2009.21Te VA atribues his

success o a concered effor o increase awareness o VA services available o

homeless or a-risk veerans.22

109,132

57,849

222,197

387,845

46,924

Overall

Chronic individuals

Veterans

People in families

Individuals

Unaccompanied youth and children

FIGURE 2

Homeless population and subgroup

2013 (in thousands)

Note: Subpopulation data do not equal the overall homeless popul

number, as people could be counted as pa rt of more than one

subpopulation.Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The 2

Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress(2013), availa

https://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/AHAR-2013-Part1

610,


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Families

Approximaely 36 percen o he homeless populaion is made

up o amilies wih children.23Homelessness among persons in

amilies declined by 7 percen rom 2012 o 2013. Tis decline,

however, is enirely composed o unshelered people in amilies.Te number o people in amilies living in shelers has acually

increased slighly since 2010 by less han 1 percen.24Homeless

amilies also experience higher-han-average raes o domesic

violence and menal illness.25Beween 22 percen and 57 percen

o women experiencing homelessnessdepending on he

sudyrepor ha domesic abuse was he immediae cause o

heir homelessness.26

Forunaely, homelessness among amilies is ypically no a

long-erm experience. Abou 75 percen o amilies who enershelers are able o quickly exi wih litle or no assisance and never reurn.27

Unorunaely, homelessness is paricularly hard on he developmen o children,

who experience wice he rae o chronic illnesses, have hree imes he rae o

emoional or behavioral problems, and have less han hal he rae o proficiency

in mah and reading as heir housed peers.28Schools play an imporan role in

recognizing and addressing homelessness, as he U.S. Deparmen o Educaion

requires each sae educaional agency o ensure ha he more han 1.1 million

sudens experiencing homelessness mainain access o public schools.29

Unaccompanied youth

A lack o adequae daa on homeless youh makes i difficul o precisely mea-

sure he scale o he problem. Tis year, however, was he firs ime communi-

ies submited poin-in-ime esimaes o homelessness in hree age caegories:

under 18 years, 18 o 24 years, and 25 years and older. According o he daa,

here were 46,924 unaccompanied homeless children and youh in he Unied

Saes on a single nigh in January 2013, roughly 8 percen o he oal home-

less populaion.30

Young people ofen become homeless due o amily conflics,including divorce, neglec, and abuse.

FIGURE 3

Homeless population and subgroup

2013 (in thousands)

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The 2

Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress(2013), availa

https://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/AHAR-2013-Part1

Chronic

individuals

18%

Families

36%

Nonchronic

individuals

46%


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Sudies show ha a disproporionae amoun o hese youhup o 45 percen

ideniy as lesbian, gay, bisexual or ransgender, or LGB. According o a recen

Cener or American Progress repor, Seeking Sheler: Te Experiences and

Unme Needs o LGB Homeless Youh, LGB youhs experiences o home-

lessness coninue o be characerizedby violence, discriminaion, poor healh,

and unme needs. Family rejecion, harassmenin schools, and he shorcomingso he juvenile jusice and child welare sysemsconinue o drive hese elevaed

raes o homelessness. All he while, ederal unding oressenial services or hese

youh has remained sagnan.31

Economic and housing factors impacting homelessness

Since he end o he Grea Recession, he wealhies households

have ully recoveredand even shown income gainswhile

middle-class and low-income amilies are sill suffering rom helingering effecs o he downurn wih litle o no improvemen

in heir incomes.

Te official povery rae in he Unied Saes was 15 percen

in 2012, unchanged rom he previous year. According o a

recen CAP repor, Reseting he Povery Debae: Renewing

Our Commimen o Shared Prosperiy, his ranslaes ino

nearly one in six people experiencing povery or 46.5 million

Americans living on annual incomes o less han $18,287 or a

amily o hree.32

In addiion, he number o low-income rener households whose

housing coss hem more han 50 percen o heir incomes

increased by 14 percen rom 2010 o 2012, as rens have gone

up while incomes remain sagnan.33As a resul o he oreclosure

crisis and sruggling housing marke, more and more middle-

class households are enering an already srained renal marke,

increasing he compeiion or affordable housing resources.34

Tis makes acquiring and mainaining housing more difficul or amilies andsingle aduls who are no chronically homeless.35

FIGURE 4

Income inequality has widened sinc

the Great Recession

Percent change in household earnings

by income level

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Income Tables: Households, T

H-3, available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/

ical/household/index.html (last accessed November 2013).

6%

5%

4%

3%

2%

1%

0

-1%

-2%

Lowest

fifth

Second

fifth

Third

fifth

Fourth

fifth

Highest

fifth

To

per


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Federal efforts to combat

homelessness

Congress passed he Homeless Emergency Assisance and Rapid ransiion o

Housing, or HEARH, Ac o 2009, which made subsanial changes o HUDs

argeed homeless effors, including consolidaing hree separae homeless assis-

ance programs, creaing a Rural Housing Sabiliy Assisance Program, increasing

prevenion resources, and increasing emphasis on perormance.36Te HEARH

Ac also charged he ederal governmen wih creaing he firs ederal sraegic

plan o preven and end homelessness, seting orh he vision ha no one in his

counry should be wihou a sae and sable place o call home.37

As a resul, he Obama adminisraion launched he naions firs comprehensive

plan o end homelessness, called Opening Doors, in June 2010. Te plan oulined

a collaboraion among 19 U.S. agencies o align mainsream housing, healh, edu-

caion, and human services o preven Americans rom experiencing homeless-

ness. Te plan ocuses on our key goals:38

Finish he job o ending chronic homelessness in five years.

Preven and end homelessness among veerans in five years.

Preven and end homelessness or amilies, youh, and children in 10 years.

Se a pah o ending all ypes o homelessness.

Opening Doors builds on he cross-agency effors argeing homelessness or

povery, including he U.S. Deparmen o Agriculures Supplemenal Nuriion

Assisance Program, or SNAP, ormerly known as ood samps; and he U.S.

Deparmen o Healh and Human Servicess emporary Assisance or Needy

Families, or ANF, program.39While here are programs across agencies ha help

individuals and amilies experiencing homelessness, HUD adminisers some o

he ederal governmens key argeed homeless programs. HUDs Coninuum oCare, or CoC, program is a se o hree compeiively awarded programs creaed

o address he problems o homelessness in a comprehensive manner wih oher

ederal agencies. Programs under he CoC include:40


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Supportive Housing Program,whichhelps develop housing and relaed sup-porive services or people moving rom homelessness o independen living

Shelter Plus Care,whichprovides renal assisance ha, when combined wihsocial services, provides supporive housing or homeless people wih disabili-

ies and heir amilies

Single Room Occupancy, or SRO,whichprovides Secion 8 renal assisance orhe moderae rehabiliaion o buildings wih SRO unis, or single-room dwellings

Te HEARH Ac also auhorized he esablishmen o he Emergency Soluions

Gran program, which allows jurisdicions o coninue successul prevenion and

rapid rehousing programs iniiaed by he Recovery Ac-unded Homelessness

Prevenion and Rapid Re-Housing Program, or HPRP, and o broaden heir exis-

ing emergency sheler and homelessness prevenion aciviies.41

While many o he argeed homelessness programs have received fla unding,

here has been an increase in ederal invesmen in permanen supporive hous-

ing or veerans and chronically homeless individuals since he o incepion o

Opening Doors in 2010.42Te VA parnered wih HUD in 2011 o ake early

learning rom he 2009 HPRP o shape implemenaion o is Supporive Services

or Veeran Families gran program, which has coninued o expand each year

since i began.43While ederal invesmens have primarily gone o fighing chronic

and veerans homelessness, success in hese areas reveals ha i is possible o

make a significan impac on barriers o mainaining sable housing or oher indi-

viduals and amilies experiencing homelessness.

Despite national and local shortages of adequate shelter and affordable hous-

ing, there has been a proliferation of local measures in recent years to criminalize

acts of living by the homeless, such as sleeping, eating, sitting, or panhandling in

public spaces. According to a study by the National Law Center on Homelessness

and Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless, there was a 7 percent

increase in laws prohibiting camping, an 11 percent increase in laws prohibiting

loitering, and a 6 percent increase in laws prohibiting begging from 2006 to 2009.

Failed strategies

The criminalization of homelessness


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These ordinances are in large part a response to the frustration of business owners

and community members who feel that homelessness compromises the safety

and livability of their cities.44

While such laws typically target the chronically homeless, homeless individuals who

are not chronically homeless are also impacted. Furthermore, some states homelesspopulations include a large proportion of unsheltered families, including Wyoming

at 64.2 percent; Colorado, 62.2 percent; Florida, 61.8 percent; Oregon, 49.5 percent;

and Arkansas, 47.7 percent.45

Act-of-living laws do little more than fuel inflammatory attitudes toward the poor.

According to a report from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, or USICH,

Rather than helping people to regain housing, obtain employment, or access

needed treatment and services, criminalization creates a costly revolving door that

circulates individuals experiencing homelessness from the street to the criminal

justice system and back.46In fact, studies confirm that strategies focused on housing

are more humane and economical.47An analysis of various cost studies of homeless-

ness found that, on average, it costs nearly three times as much to send a homeless

person to jail for a night as it does to send them to a shelter.48

Rather than penalizing people for experiencing homelessness and devoting precious

resources to solutions that only address problems at their surface, communities can

better engage local police as participants in solutions to end homelessness. This

strategy has been utilized in Portland, Oregon, in response to a state statute prohib-

iting camping on public property. The citys police bureau adopted an administra-

tive rule requiring officers to work closely with JOINa nonprofit organization that

works with individuals and families experiencing homelessnessbefore removingany encampment. The policy requires 24-hour notice to the family or individual prior

to the removal as well as notice to JOIN. This gives JOIN outreach workers the oppor-

tunity to visit the campsites and convince campers to move to shelters with the goal

of transitioning them to permanent housing.

In instances where police officers must be involved in addressing homelessness, it

is critical that a strategy is in place with service providers and other stakeholders to

ensure they prioritize solutions that work.49


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wih Firs-ime Homelessness or Families and Individuals, ound ha providing

emergency sheler o amilies generally coss as much or more han placing hem

in ransiional or permanen housing hrough ederal housing subsidies, such as

Secion 8 housing vouchers.55

TABLE 1

Average cost per family per month

Emergency

shelter

Transitional

housing

Permanent

supportive housing

2006 fair market rent

for two-bedroom unit

District of Columbia $2,496$3,698 $2,146$2,188 $1,251 $1,225

Houston $1,391 $1,940$4,482 $799 $743

Kalamazoo $1,614 $813 $881 $612

South Carolina $2,269 $1,209 $661 $599

Source: Brooke Spellman and others, Costs Associated With First-Time Homelessness for Families and Individuals (Washington: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Development, 2010), available at http://www.huduser.org/publications/pdf/Costs_Homeless.pdf.

Prevenion assisance can aid households in preserving heir curren housing

siuaion. Some communiies are working o ensure he coordinaion o homeless

prevenion programs wih mainsream programs ocused on economic sabiliy,

such as ANF, Supplemenal Securiy Income, and Medicaid.56Below are wo

examples o communiies ha have made successul effors o preven and address

homelessness hrough hese mehods.

Denver, Colorado

Denvers en Year Plan o End Homelessness, also called Denvers Road Home,

is a regional effor ha ransiions people in need rom shelers ino housing, pro-

vides renal assisance o preven individuals and amilies rom alling ino home-

lessness, and includes privae-secor suppor o provide employmen placemen

assisance.57Expansion o housing sock raher han sheler beds is cenral o he

plan,which hascreaed almos 2,800 new housing unis since 2005. Te programs

Denver Sree Oureach Collaboraion has housed 2,275 aduls and youh hrough

is sree oureach effors and menored 1,208 amilies and seniors ou o home-

lessness hrough a parnership wih he aih communiy. Overall, 96 percen ocliens served remained in permanen housing one year laer.58
http://www.huduser.org/publications/pdf/Costs_Homeless.pdfhttp://www.huduser.org/publications/pdf/Costs_Homeless.pdf


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In addiion, he plan creaed an Employmen Subcommitee, comprised o 55

organizaions ha have a role in helping homeless job seekers become employed

and sel-sufficien. Job seekers receive case managemen o assis wih employ-

men goals. Services include needs assessmens, lie-skills raining, job-readiness

and work-skills raining, ransporaion, and job-search suppor. Job seekers work-

ing wih collaboraing subcommitee agencies have a cumulaive employmenreenion rae o 73 percen over a nine-monh period.59

Utah

Te Road Home, a nonprofi social services agency ha assiss individuals and

amilies experiencing homelessness in Uah, has seen a 309 percen increase in he

number o amilies urning o hem or help over he pas hree years.60Tey have

responded o his dramaic need by increasing housing opions raher han building

an addiional sheler. Trough heir rapid rehousing program, he Road Home wasable o help 1,100 amilies. Tis program addresses barriers o mainaining sable

housing, such as unemploymen and subsance abuse, hrough housing placemen

assisance, shor-erm subsidies, and supporive services. Eighy-seven percen o

amilies served remain successully housed and have no reurned o homelessness.61

Furhermore, he Uah Deparmen o Workorce Services co-locaes saff a he

Road Home o help amilies ge conneced o benefis and provide he inensive

employmen services hey need o find jobs quickly. Te deparmen also provides

ANF resources o he Road Home o cover he firs our monhs o amilies

rens while rapidly rehoused parens are searching or employmen. Boh agen-

cies resources are being used o provide inegraed employmen and housing

inervenions ha help amilies sabilize in heir own housing quickly and avoid

uure homelessness.62Te program reduced he average lengh o amily home-

less episodes by more han 50 percen, rom 71 days o 26 days.63


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The nations fiscal crisis has led states and localities to reduce or eliminate funding

for key services that prevent and end homelessness. Most communities today lack

adequate shelter and housing; therefore, people experiencing homelessness are

becoming unsheltered.64

Cuts at the federal level are also exacerbating the situation. According to the Center

on Budget and Policy Priorities, or CBPP, cuts through sequestration could result in

125,000 to 185,000 individuals and families, including elderly and disabled individu-

als, losing assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher, or HCV, program, also

known as Section 8; these people would then be at risk of becoming homeless.65

Section 8 vouchers help very low-income families, seniors, and people with dis-

abilities afford private housing. According to CBPP, since many communities accord

priority in issuing vouchers to people who are homeless or at imminent risk of home-

lessness, these cuts in housing vouchers will exacerbate homelessness.66

Fiscal threats


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Recommendations

Te good news is ha we generally undersand wha i akes o end homeless-

ness. Mos households oday become homeless because o economic acors bu

have already lived in independen permanen housing and are capable o being

sably housed wih limied assisance. Prevenion and rapid rehousing srae-

gies can help amilies and individuals recover quickly and avoid he impacs

o an exended period o homelessness. Te bad news is ha resources are

increasingly scarce. We canno depend on argeed homeless resources o house

people in he long erm, bu we neverheless coninue o ace affordable hous-ing shorages. Invesing in sable housing or low-income people is cos effecive

or communiies in he long run, because sable housing improves educaional,

employmen, and healh oucomes.

Building off he case sudies above, here are recommendaions or how commu-

niies can use heir homeless resources in more cos-effecive ways, how we can

srenghen our affordable housing sysem, and how we can address he roo causes

o homelessness: povery and income inequaliy.

Align homeless and mainstream services

argeed homeless resources are criical o addressing he specific needs o individu-

als and amilies experiencing a bou o homelessness. A number o sae and local

governmens as well as nonprofi organizaions adminiser criical resources, such

as emergency shelers and income suppors, argeing such amilies and individuals.

I is imporan, however, or communiies o consider he many ways mainsream

resources, such as Medicaid, ANF, SNAP, and oher programs, can enhance heir

effors, as hese programs are designed o help lif people ou o povery.

Some ederal programs already require his coordinaion: HUDs Sheler Plus

Care program, described earlier, requires a mach o supporive services, which

can be unded by oher ederal, sae, or local sources as well as privae sources.67


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When such coordinaion is no required, communiies should sill consider how

o leverage resources o produce greaer resuls. As he Road Home program in

Uah illusraes, breaking down silos, leveraging resources, and esablishing shared

goals beween homeless service providers and mainsream services can help

enhance he efficiency and cos effeciveness o hese effors. Tere are a number

o resources available o communiies o help in his process.68

In order o beter align resources and goals o preven and end homeless-

ness, USICH encourages saes o esablish a Sae Ineragency Council on

Homelessness wih represenaion rom he heads o mainsream income suppor,

healh care, human services, veerans, housing, correcions, ransporaion, educa-

ion, and labor deparmens and agencies. o aid in his process, USICH pro-

duced a sep-by-sep Guide or Developing a Sae Ineragency Council, which

advises saes on how o esablish a council and bes pracices or aligning goals as

well as how o suppor local governmens.69

Te Deparmen o Healh and Human Services also released a repor las year,

iled Linking Human Services and Housing Assisance or Homeless Families

and Families a Risk o Homelessness, ocusing on 14 local programs ha link

human services wih housing suppors o help homeless amilies. As a resul o

his sudy, 10 promising pracices were developed and characerisics o hese pro-

grams were shared, increasing he ederal governmens undersanding o how o

bes inegrae mainsream resources o assis amilies experiencing homelessness.

Sraegies included orging relaionships beween case managers, housing special-

iss, and landlords o increase housing opions.70

In addiion, a number o ederal agencies provide various ypes o echnical assis-

ance relaed o heir argeed and mainsream programs. echnical assisance,

or A, can involve ongoing communicaion wih A providers who offer advice

and suppor as well as conduc possible sie visis o build skills, knowledge, and

capaciy or aking ull advanage o ederal programs. USICH provides inorma-

ion on he level o A and how o reques assisance on is websie. 71

Lasly, co-locaing various services in he same aciliy can help individuals and

amilies beter access available resources.72

Te Disric o Columbia Deparmeno Human Services once operaed ANF, Family Sheler, and Child Care Eligibiliy

as separae programs, which mean unding assessmen and case managemen

separaely. Bu abou 95 percen o amilies applying or homeless services are also

eligible or ANF benefis.73As a resul, he Disric adoped a sraegic plan o


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inegrae assessmen and case planning and co-locaed hese services in one locaion.

Oher ciies, such as San Francisco, hold evens where homeless individuals and

amilies can access an array o servicesrom denal care o idenificaion cards o

employmen counselinga one locaion, in one day.74

Expand affordable housing

As discussed earlier, rapid rehousing is an effecive sraegy o ensure ha indi-

viduals and amilies experiencing a bou o homelessness brough on by economic

acors can recover quickly.Unorunaely, he supply o affordable housing con-

inues o all ar shor o he need. According o USICH, Tis shorage is one o

he greaes obsacles o prevening and ending homelessness in all is orms.75I

is necessary o ensure ha more low-income people have greaer access o afford-

able housing while a he same ime ensuring ha our housing marke suppors

he preservaion and creaion o such housing.

Increase access to affordable housing

Te Housing Choice Voucher, or HCV, program, also known as Secion 8, helps 2.2

million low-income households ren privae housing a an affordable cos by reim-

bursing landlords or he difference beween wha a household can afford o pay and

he ren isel.76Tese households have average annual incomes o abou $12,500,

well below he povery line. Research rom he Governmen Accounabiliy Office

and ohers has consisenly ound he voucher program o be a cos-effecive means

o helping low-income amilies afford decen, sable housing and avoid homeless-

ness.77Because o unding limiaions, however, only one in our eligible households

receives a housing voucher or oher ype o ederal renal assisance.78

Several naional housing organizaions sen a leter o House and Senae appropri-

aors in Ocober, urging hem o include 11 provisions or reorm in he fiscal year

2014 appropriaions bill.79One recommendaion is o reorm screening crieria

or he projec-based HCV programin which a specific renal uni is subsi-

dizedso ha landlords are limied o only using crieria ha deermine whehersomeone is suiable o be a enan. Owners are currenly required o exclude

any household conaining a member who may have been eviced rom ederally

assised housing over he pas hree years due o drugs, and hey are no required

o exemp people who have compleed rehabiliaion programs. Owners may also


20/29


esablish addiional screening crieria ha can creae barriers. For example, an

owner may have sric policies relaed o criminal backgrounds, previous renal

housing hisory, and debs, which can screen ou individuals and amilies experi-

encing exreme povery and homelessness who may have aced evicions or had

poor credi due o pas financial circumsances and need assisance oday o regain

sabiliy.80

Insead, an owners screening crieria should be direcly relaed o anapplicans curren abiliy o ulfill he obligaions o an assised lease, which can

be demonsraed hrough employmen, compleion o rehabiliaion programs,

and oher indicaors o progress rom pas barriers.

Oher proposed reorms include esing sraegies o leverage privae unds o pre-

serve public housing unis and making amilies served by he projec-based HCV

program eligible or he Family Sel-Sufficiency program, which provides job

counseling and financial incenives o work and save or renal assisance recipi-

ens.81We urge Congress o consider hese reorms in order o increase efficiency

and expand he HCV program. Furhermore, Congress should resore he HCVprogramas well as is adminisraion cosso is presequesraion levels o

ensure ha more low-income amilies have access o qualiy housing. Te CBPP

esimaes ha hese coss would oal approximaely $19.39 billion.82

Support the financing of affordable housing

As he housing marke coninues o recover rom he 2008 crisis, Congress is seek-

ing o reorm he housing finance sysem. Key quesions include how o srucure

he governmens role in he sysem, ensure sandardizaion, suppor affordable

housing, and ensure access o affordable and susainable credi or all communi-

ies and crediworhy borrowers. According o Julia Gordon, CAPs Direcor o

Housing Finance and Policy:

A new system could restore balance to the housing market, provide credit to

a broad and diverse population, and result in a larger, more stable housing

market. Alternatively, it could also create an environment in which credit and

housing choices are more costly, more limited, and less sustainable, especially for

minority low- and moderate-income households.83

As hese discussions move orward, Congress mus ensure ha he newsysemprovides financing o preserve he exising privaely owned, affordable housing

sock and suppor he consrucion o new affordable unis. Trough he Federal


21/29


Housing Adminisraion, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, he ederal governmen

helps provide such financing, which is no always available in he purely privae

marke. Te new sysem should coninue o guaranee muliamily securiies, shar-

ing risk wih he privae secor as i does now, and ensure ha a significan porion

o his financing goes oward affordable unis.84

In addiion, any new housing finance sysem should charge a ee on all morgage-

backed securiies ha would provide capial or he Naional Housing rus Fund

and Capial Magne Fund, boh o which were esablished by he Housing and

Economic Recovery Ac o 2008. Te Housing rus Fund is a ormula gran pro-

gram o saes, adminisered by HUD and designed o suppor renal housing or

exremely low- and very low-income amilies. Te Capial Magne Fund, admin-

isered by he Communiy Developmen Financial Insiuion, or CDFI, Fund a

he U.S. reasury, provides grans o CDFIs and oher nonprofis o suppor renal

housing or low-income amilies.85CAP has also proposed using such ees o cre-

ae a Marke Access Fund o suppor he research and developmen o innovaiveproducs and processes o reach underserved communiies. For more inormaion

on he role o housing finance reorm in affordable housing, see he CAP repors

Housing Finance Reorm: Affordable Renal Housing a Sake86and Making

he Morgage Marke Work or Americas Families.87

Increase economic stability and address income inequality

As saed a he beginning o his repor, income inequaliy is in large par o blame

or he exisence o wha researchers someimes reer o as modern homelessness.

Forunaely, our saey ne is helping lif amilies ou o povery and mee heir basic

needs. Esimaes show ha unemploymen insurance helped 1.7 million addiional

people avoid povery las year, and wihou Social Securiy, nearly 15.3 million addi-

ional seniors would have lived in povery.88Unorunaely, our saey ne is working

overime o make up or sagnan wages and ewer opporuniies.

In order o help lif amilies ou o povery and avoid homelessness, amilies and

individuals need access o well-paying jobs, affordable housing, and suppor ha is

available during an unoreseen crisis, such as a medical emergency or losing onesjob. In CAPs Reseting he Povery Debae: Renewing Our Commimen o

Shared Prosperiy, we recommend a number o policies ha would help address

income inequaliy and help amilies acing homelessness, including:


22/29


Proecing effecive work and income suppors, such as SNAP and low-income

ax credis, rom cus

Invesing in job-creaion measures, such as he Pahways Back o Work Fund

ha creaes subsidized work opporuniies or low-income and long-erm

unemployed workers

Boosing he minimum wage and enacing basic labor sandards, such as guaran-

eed paid sick days

Increasing access o affordable healh insurance hrough he Affordable Care Acs

opion or saes o expand Medicaid o cover low-income, uninsured aduls

Enacing a plan o expand affordable and high-qualiy child care and pre-K, a

policy ha would improve oucomes or a-risk children, enable low-income

parens o work, and creae jobs or care workers


23/29


Conclusion

Te cenral ene o he ederal plan o end homelessness is he belie ha no indi-

vidual or amily should ever experience he insabiliy o living wihou a home.

Now more han ever, we undersand wha sraegies work o preven homeless-

ness, and communiies across he counry are doing heir par o end homeless-

ness. Bu we canno le hese effors be hindered by sagnan wages, higher rens,

and he whitling down o our saey ne. I we ruly believe ha no one should

experience he uncerainy and pain o no knowing where hey will live or how

long hey will be ou o a home, we mus coninue o inves in prevenaive mea-suressuch as expanding affordable housing and paying living wagesha will

preven us rom paying he higher coss associaed wih crisis inervenions.


24/29


About the author

Tracey Rossis a Senior Policy Analys wih he Povery o Prosperiy Program

a he Cener or American Progress. In his role, she ocuses on place-based

responses o fighing povery. Prior o joining he Cener, she was a program asso-

ciae a Living Ciies where she worked on heir signaure effor, Te InegraionIniiaive, supporing ciies as hey work o ransorm broken sysems o mee he

needs o low-income residens. She was seleced as a Nex American Vanguard,

Next City Magazines recogniion o 40 urban leaders under 40, in 2012.


25/29


Acknowledgements

Tank you o Cener or American Progress saff members Melissa Boeach, Julia

Gordon, and Laura Durso. Special hanks o Barbara Poppe, execuive direcor o

he U.S. Ineragency Council on Homelessness, and Jeremy Rosen, policy direcor

a he Naional Law Cener on Homelessness and Povery.


26/29


Endnotes

1 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, OpeningDoors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Home-lessness (2010), available athttp://www.usich.gov/PDF/OpeningDoors_2010_FSPPreventEndHomeless.pdf.

2 Brendan OFlaherty, Making Room: The Economics ofHomelessness (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University

Press, 1996).

3 Diane Jeantet, A Brief History of Homelessness in NewYork, City Limits, March 11, 2013, available at http://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4755/#.UmaT5vlnSSo.

4 National Coalition for the Homeless,Employmentand Homelessness (2009), available athttp://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/employment.html.

5 Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness,A Home by Any Other Name: Enhancing SheltersAddresses the Gap in Low-income Housing (2012),available at http://www.icphusa.org/filelibrary/ICPH_PolicyBrief_AHomeByAnyOtherName.pdf.

6 Joint Center for Housing Studies, The State of theNations Housing 2013 (2013), available at http://www.

jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/son2013.

pdf.

7 Bipartisan Policy Center, Housing Americas Future:New Directions for National Policy (2013), availableat http://bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/BPC_Housing%20Report_web_0.pdf.

8 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,Determining Homeless and At-Risk Status, Income,and Disability, available at https://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/DeterminingParticipantSta-tus_12.20.11.pdf(last accessed November 2013).

9 Melissa Boteach and others, Resetting the Poverty De-bate: Renewing Our Commitment to Shared Prosperity(Washington: Center for American Progress ActionFund, 2013), available at http://www.americanpro-gressaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Half-InTen_2013_CAP1.pdf.

10 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Repor t (AHAR) toCongress(2013), available athttps://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/AHAR-2013-Part1.pdf.

11 National Alliance to End Homelessness, TheState of Homelessness in America 2013(2013), available athttp://b.3cdn.net/naeh/bb34a7e4cd84ee985c_3vm6r7cjh.pdf.

12 National Alliance to End Homelessness, Changes in theHUD Definition of Homeless, available at http://b.3cdn.net/naeh/579e3b67bd7eeb3fc3_q0m6i6az8.pdf(last accessed November 2013).

13 Ibid.

14 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,

The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Repor t (AHAR) toCongress.

15 Ibid.

16 National Alliance to End Homelessness, The State ofHomelessness in America 2013.

17 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Repor t (AHAR) toCongress.

18 Ibid.


20 Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, Shinseki OutlinesPlan to End Veteran Homelessness, American ForcesPress Service, November 3, 2009, available at http://

www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=56515.

21 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) toCongress.

22 Lawrence J. Korband Patrick Murphy,PresidentObamas Commitment to Veterans Must Remain aSecond-Term Priority, Center for American Progress,February 13, 2013, available athttp://www.american-progress.org/issues/military/news/2013/02/13/53328/president-obamas-commitment-to-veterans-must-remain-a-second-term-priority.

23 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to

Congress.

24 Ibid.

25 National Alliance to End Homelessness, Families,available at http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/families(last accessed November 2013).

26 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, OpeningDoors.

27 National Alliance to End Homelessness, Families.

28 Greg Kaufman, America is Ignoring Homeless Families,Moyers & Company, April 21, 2013, available athttp://billmoyers.com/2013/04/21/america-is-ignoring-home-less-families.

29 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, PublicSchools: Counting and Caring for Children Experienc-ing Homelessness, available at http://usich.gov/member_agency/department_of_education/public_

schools_counting_and_caring_for_children_experienc-ing_homelessness(last accessed November 2013).

30 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Repor t (AHAR) to

Congress.

31 Andrew Cray, Katie Miller, and Laura E. Durso, Seek-ing Shelter: The Experiences and Unmet Needs ofLGBT Homeless Youth (Washington: Center forAmerican Progress, 2013), available athttp://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/LGBTHomelessYouth.pdf.

32 Boteach and others, Resetting the Poverty Debate.

33 Douglas Rice, Deficit Reduction Deal Without Substan-tial New Revenues Would Almost Certainly Force DeepCuts in Housing Assistance (Washington: Center on

Budget and Policy Priorities, 2012), available athttp://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3866.

34 Lucia Mutikani, U.S. Homeownership Rate Falls to17-Year Low As More Rent, AOL Real Estate blog,May 2, 2013, available athttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/05/01/homeownership-rate-2013.

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ducation/public_schools_counting_and_caring_for_children_experiencing_homelessnesshttp://billmoyers.com/2013/04/21/america-is-ignoring-homeless-familieshttp://billmoyers.com/2013/04/21/america-is-ignoring-homeless-familieshttp://billmoyers.com/2013/04/21/america-is-ignoring-homeless-familieshttp://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/familieshttp://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/familieshttp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/military/news/2013/02/13/53328/president-obamas-commitment-to-veterans-must-remain-a-second-term-priorityhttp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/military/news/2013/02/13/53328/president-obamas-commitment-to-veterans-must-remain-a-second-term-priorityhttp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/military/news/2013/02/13/53328/president-obamas-commitment-to-veterans-must-remain-a-second-term-priorityhttp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/military/news/2013/02/13/53328/president-obamas-commitment-to-veterans-must-remain-a-second-term-priorityhttp://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/murphy-patrick/bio/http://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/korb-lawrence-j/bio/http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=56515http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=56515http://b.3cdn.net/naeh/579e3b67bd7eeb3fc3_q0m6i6az8.pdfhttp://b.3cdn.net/naeh/579e3b67bd7eeb3fc3_q0m6i6az8.pdfhttp://b.3cdn.net/naeh/bb34a7e4cd84ee985c_3vm6r7cjh.pdfhttp://b.3cdn.net/naeh/bb34a7e4cd84ee985c_3vm6r7cjh.pdfhttps://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/AHAR-2013-Part1.pdfhttps://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/AHAR-2013-Part1.pdfhttp://www.americanprogressaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/HalfInTen_2013_CAP1.pdfhttp://www.americanprogressaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/HalfInTen_2013_CAP1.pdfhttp://www.americanprogressaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/HalfInTen_2013_CAP1.pdfhttps://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/DeterminingParticipantStatus_12.20.11.pdfhttps://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/DeterminingParticipantStatus_12.20.11.pdfhttps://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/DeterminingParticipantStatus_12.20.11.pdfhttp://bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/BPC_Housing%20Report_web_0.pdfhttp://bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/BPC_Housing%20Report_web_0.pdfhttp://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/son2013.pdfhttp://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/son2013.pdfhttp://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/son2013.pdfhttp://www.icphusa.org/filelibrary/ICPH_PolicyBrief_AHomeByAnyOtherName.pdfhttp://www.icphusa.org/filelibrary/ICPH_PolicyBrief_AHomeByAnyOtherName.pdfhttp://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/employment.htmlhttp://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/employment.htmlhttp://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4755/#.UmaT5vlnSSohttp://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4755/#.UmaT5vlnSSohttp://www.usich.gov/PDF/OpeningDoors_2010_FSPPreventEndHomeless.pdfhttp://www.usich.gov/PDF/OpeningDoors_2010_FSPPreventEndHomeless.pdfhttp://www.usich.gov/PDF/OpeningDoors_2010_FSPPreventEndHomeless.pdf


27/29


36 OneCPD Resource Exchange, Homeless Emergency As-sistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act, availableat https://www.onecpd.info/homelessness-assistance/hearth-act(last accessed November 2013).

37 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, HEARTHand Your Community, available athttp://usich.gov/index.php/member_agency/department_of_hous-ing_and_urban_development/hearth(last accessedNovember 2013).

38 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Opening

Doors.

39 Ibid.

40 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,Competitively Awarded Homeless Programs (Con-tinuum of Care), available athttp://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_plan-ning/homeless/programs/coc(last accessed November2013).

41 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, HEARTHand Your Community.

42 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, OpeningDoors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and EndHomelessness Update 2012 (2012), available at http://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Up-date2012_FINALweb.pdf.

43 Ibid.

44 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Search-ing Out Solutions: Constructive Alternatives to theCriminalization of Homelessness (2012), available athttp://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/RPT_SoS_March2012.pdf.

45 Alvaro Cortes and others, The 2012 Point-in-TimeEstimates of Homelessness (Washington: U.S Depart-ment of Housing and Urban Development, 2012),available at http://abtassociates.com/AbtAssociates/files/77/77fdb6fa-6e6b-4524-8b5a-8e68c68caca9.pdf.

46 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, SearchingOut Solutions.

47 The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty

and The National Coalition for the Homeless, HomesNot Handcuffs: The Criminalization of Homelessness inU.S. Cities (2009), available athttp://www.nation-alhomeless.org/publications/crimreport/CrimzRe-port_2009.pdf.



50 National Alliance to End Homelessness, A Plan, Not aDream: How to End Homelessness in Ten Years (2006),available at http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/a-plan-not-a-dream-how-to-end-homelessness-in-ten-years.

51 National Alliance to End Homelessness, Rapid Re-

Housing and Prevention, available athttp://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/prevention-and-rapid-re-housing (last accessed November 2013).

52 Sharon McDonald, Using TANF to Address FamilyHomelessness (2013), available at http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2013/1310HSPolicyInstituteMcDonald.pdf.


54 Brooke Spellman and others, Costs Associated WithFirst-Time Homelessness for Families and Individuals(Washington: U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment, 2010), available athttp://www.huduser.org/publications/pdf/Costs_Homeless.pdf.

55 Ibid.

56 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Opening

Doors.


58 Denvers Road Home, Current State - Year 8, availableat http://www.denversroadhome.org/state.php?id_cat=1(last accessed November 2013).

59 Denvers Road Home, 2010 Annual Update: Year 5(2010), available athttp://www.denversroadhome.org/files/DRH_AnnualReport2011_vF_crops.pdf.

60 The Road Home, Rapid Rehousing, available at http://www.theroadhome.org/services/housing/rapid-rehousing(last accessed November 2013).

61 Ibid.

62 Michelle Flynn, Promising Strategies: Utah WorkforceServices and The Road Home (Washington: NationalAlliance to End Homelessness, 2013), available at http://b.3cdn.net/naeh/3dc987b56fb1d727c2_a5m6i29ud.pdf.

63 McDonald, Using TANF to Address Family Homeless-ness.

64 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, OpeningDoors: Update 2012.

65 Rice, Deficit Reduction Deal Without Substantial NewRevenues Would Almost Certainly Force Deep Cuts inHousing Assistance.

66 Douglas Rice, Sequestration Could Deny Rental As-sistance to 140,000 Low-Income Families(Washington:Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2013), available

at http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3945.

67 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,Shelter Plus Care Program (S+C), available athttp://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/homeless/programs/splusc(last ac-cessed November 2013).

68 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Developinga State Interagency Council on Homelessness: A Step-by-Step Guide, available at http://usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/pptsich.pdf (last accessedNovember 2013).

69 Alvaro Cortes and others, Linking Human Services andHousing Assistance for Homeless Families and Familiesat Risk of Homelessness (Bethesda, MD: Abt Associates,2012), available athttp://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/12/Linking-Services2HomelessFamilies/index.pdf.

70 Ibid.

71 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, AccessTechnical Assistance, available at http://usich.gov/usich_resources/how_to_access_techinical_assistance(last accessed November 2013).
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ser.org/publications/pdf/Costs_Homeless.pdfhttp://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2013/1310HSPolicyInstituteMcDonald.pdfhttp://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2013/1310HSPolicyInstituteMcDonald.pdfhttp://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2013/1310HSPolicyInstituteMcDonald.pdfhttp://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/prevention-and-rapid-re-housinghttp://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/prevention-and-rapid-re-housinghttp://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/prevention-and-rapid-re-housinghttp://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/a-plan-not-a-dream-how-to-end-homelessness-in-ten-yearshttp://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/a-plan-not-a-dream-how-to-end-homelessness-in-ten-yearshttp://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/a-plan-not-a-dream-how-to-end-homelessness-in-ten-yearshttp://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/crimreport/CrimzReport_2009.pdfhttp://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/crimreport/CrimzReport_2009.pdfhttp://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/crimreport/CrimzReport_2009.pdfhttp://abtassociates.com/AbtAssociates/files/77/77fdb6fa-6e6b-4524-8b5a-8e68c68caca9.pdfhttp://abtassociates.com/AbtAssociates/files/77/77fdb6fa-6e6b-4524-8b5a-8e68c68caca9.pdfhttp://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/RPT_SoS_March2012.pdfhttp://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/RPT_SoS_March2012.pdfhttp://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Update2012_FINALweb.pdfhttp://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Update2012_FINALweb.pdfhttp://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Update2012_FINALweb.pdfhttp://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/homeless/programs/cochttp://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/homeless/programs/cochttp://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/homeless/programs/cochttp://usich.gov/index.php/member_agency/department_of_housing_and_urban_development/hearthhttp://usich.gov/index.php/member_agency/department_of_housing_and_urban_development/hearthhttp://usich.gov/index.php/member_agency/department_of_housing_and_urban_development/hearthhttps://www.onecpd.info/homelessness-assistance/hearth-acthttps://www.onecpd.info/homelessness-assistance/hearth-act


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72 District of Columbia Department of Human Services,Virginia Williams Family Resource Center Relocates,available athttp://dhs.dc.gov/page/virginia-williams-family-resource-center-relocates(last accessed Novem-ber 2013).

73 Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, DHS Home-lessness Services I ntegration Plan. White Paper (2013).

74 Scott Keyes, The Most Innovative Homeless ServiceYouve Never Heard Of, ThinkProgress, October 18,2013, available at http://thinkprogress.org/econo-

my/2013/10/18/2779251/project-homeless-connect.

75 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, OpeningDoors: Update 2012.

76 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING TENANT-BASED RENTALASSISTANCE: 2013 Summary Statement and Initiatives,available athttp://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/docu-ments/huddoc?id=tenant-based.pdf(last accessedNovember 2013).

77 Rice, Sequestration Could Deny Rental Assistance to140,000 Low-Income Families.

78 Bipartisan Policy Center, Housing Americas Future.

79 Letter from Center on Budget and Policy Prioritiesand others to the Senate and House Appropriations

Committees, October 21, 2013, available athttp://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/Appropriators_Reform_Poli-cies_Ltr_10-21-13.pdf.

80 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,Implementation and approval of owner-adoptedadmissions preferences for individuals or familiesexperiencing homelessness, July 25, 2013, availableat http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=13-21hsgn.pdf.

81 Letter from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities andothers to the Senate and House Appropriations Com-mittees.

82 Douglas Rice, Sequestration Could Cut Housing Vouch-ers for as Many as 18 5,000 Low-Income Families by theEnd of 2014 (Washington: Center on Budget and PolicyPriorities, 2013), available at http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4044.

83 Julia Gordon, Essential Elements of Housing FinanceReform, Testimony before the Senate Committee on

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, September 12,2013, available at http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Julia-Gordon-Essential-Elements-Testimony-9-12-13-1.pdf.

84 Center for American Progress and the National Councilof La Raza, Making the Mortgage Market Work forAmericas Families (2013), available at http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/AccessAffordHousing1.pdf.

85 Ibid.

86 The CAP Housing Team, Housing Finance Reform: Af-fordable Rental Housing at Stake (Washington: Centerfor American Progress, 2013), available athttp://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/HousingFinanceReform_3.pdf.

87 Center for American Progress and National Councilof La Raza, Making the Mortgage Market Work forAmericas Families.

88 Melissa Boteach, The Top 3 Things You Need to KnowAbout the New Poverty and Income Data, Center forAmerican Progress, September 17, 2013, available athttp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2013/09/17/74429/the-top-3-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-poverty-and-income-data.
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Documents

No Place Like Home: Addressing Poverty and Homelessness in the United States