Special Needs Housing: Combating Homelessness

Idaho Housing and Finance Association:
Decreasing Homelessness through Reinvestment

Idaho is one of the fastest growing states in the country, and that growth has made housing for homeless persons increasingly difficult to secure. Through resource targeting and reinvestment activities, Idaho Housing and Finance Association has catalyzed community-driven housing and programs creation across the state. IHFA has shifted from its previous investment approach of grant and loan making to one of establishing an equity position in the majority of it projects.

Illinois Housing Development Authority:
Rental Housing Re-Entry Program

Many individuals reentering society after incarceration face an array of barriers to stable and affordable housing including: unemployment, educational and training deficiencies, lack of family support and the permanent disabling impacts of a criminal record. To help address this problem, IHDA partnered with IL Dept of Corrections to launch the Re-Entry Rental Housing Support Demonstration Program, an interagency initiative to meet the housing needs of individuals exiting IDOC facilities.

Kentucky Housing Corporation:
Expanding Housing Opportunities for Kentucky's Homeless through Mainstream Vouchers

Recognizing the need for a permanent solution for many of Kentucky’s homeless population, Kentucky Housing Corporation began using the Mainstream Voucher program to serve Kentuckians who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. KHC typically provided housing choice vouchers (HCV) to 87 of its 120 counties. With Mainstream, KHC expanded its service area to 118 counties.

Louisiana Housing Corporation:
Pandemic to Permanent Housing: Seizing an Opportunity in Preventing a Crisis

In response to health experts’ prediction that the Louisiana homeless population would be at an increased risk during COVID-19, the Louisiana Housing Corporation implemented a successful initiative of unprecedented scale to protect the state’s homeless population. The agency’s efforts led to more NCS beds than the total unsheltered population counted during the January 2020 PIT Count, an 89% depopulation rate for NCS, and 51% exit to PH rate using primarily existing resources.

Minnesota Housing:
Supportive Housing Evaluation

In 2019 and 2020, Minnesota Housing conducted a first-of-its-kind systematic evaluation of its rapidly growing supportive housing portfolio and processes. We modified our processes to review certain aspects of supportive housing, they were not enough to understand the performance of the properties, efficacy of the service models, and tenant outcomes. With the size and growth of our supportive housing portfolio, we needed a systematic review of our processes and performance.

New York City Housing Development Corporation:
Employing the Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) Program to Protect Low-Income LGBTQ+ Elders from Homelessness

The Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) program allows for the creation of comprehensive, safe, long-term affordable senior housing, incorporating social services and sustainable design features that foster both independence and sense of community in a healthy and supported living environment. At Stonewall House, a LGBTQ+ affordable senior rental development, we see the tangible impacts of the program on providing security and peace of mind for some of our most vulnerable populations.

Ohio Housing Finance Agency:
Stepping Up Ohio: Addressing the Link Between Mental Health, Jail Stays, and Housing

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency partnered with a program that aims to reduce the number of people with mental illness caught in the revolving door of homelessness and jail stays, increase local communities’ systems of care, and increase housing options for people with mental illness. This collaboration provides Ohio’s 88 counties and 78 local jails an unprecedented opportunity to address this barrier of data sharing to build housing solutions.

Rhode Island Housing:
Deploying Federal Resources to Help Youth Succeed

Youth aging out of foster care experience many challenges in accessing a stable home and the services they need to retain that home and succeed. RIHousing’s Foster Youth Initiative (FYI) deploys federal resources in the form of Housing Choice Vouchers, supported via creative partnerships with local service providers, to assist young people experiencing homelessness and housing instability. The program has been especially significant in the midst of a pandemic.