Special Needs Housing: Combating Homelessness
Recognizes an HFA for a new or enhanced program that best provides affordable housing and services for individuals or families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Note: Individual housing developments are not eligible for submission.
Judging Criteria
Special Needs Housing entries will be judged on the degree to which they:
- Are innovative
- Are replicable
- Respond to an important state housing need
- Demonstrate measurable benefits to HFA targeted customers
- Have a proven track record of success in the marketplace
- Provide benefits that outweigh costs
- Demonstrate effective use of resources
- Effectively employ partnerships
- Achieve strategic objectives
If you have questions, please email awards@ncsha.org or call 202-624-7710.
2022 Winner
Oregon Housing and Community Services
2022 Entries
Illinois Housing Development Authority:
Rental Housing Re-Entry Program
Individuals leaving the Illinois Department of Corrections and reentering society after incarceration face an array of barriers to stable and affordable housing. To help address this issue, IHDA partnered with IDOC to launch the Re-Entry Rental Housing Support Demonstration Program, an interagency initiative designed to meet the housing needs of individuals exiting IDOC facilities.
Mississippi Home Corporation:
DRIVE Program
Developing Responsible Individuals with Valuable Education (DRIVE) Program offers housing and job training for individuals who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness. In 2020, the Mississippi Home Corporation (MHC) and the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) began a partnership to increase ridership on public transportation across the state. This partnership grew into addressing the need for gainful training and employment among those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
North Dakota Housing Finance Agency:
Opening Doors Landlord Loss Mitigation Fund
While it may not be the outright display of mental illness or substance abuse that costs an individual access to housing, it is often instead a collateral effect. A cycle of negative behavioral patterns can lead to criminal, credit and/or rental history issues which in turn can disqualify an individual from being able to rent a home. North Dakota Housing Finance Agency’s Opening Doors helps Medicaid-eligible households secure housing by offering housing providers coverage beyond the security deposit if a program participant causes excessive damage to a rental unit or a loss of revenue.
Oregon Housing and Community Services:
Oregon Permanent Supportive Housing
Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is a critical part of the affordable housing spectrum and one of six priorities in Oregon’s Statewide Housing Plan. To support Oregon communities seeking to develop PSH, OHCS sponsored the Supportive Housing Institute, coordinated and implemented by the Corporation for Supportive Housing. Since 2019, 18 teams have graduated, significantly increasing capacity to develop and operate quality PSH.
Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority:
Supportive Housing Institute and Initiative
WHEDA partnered with The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) to launch an initiative to help combat homelessness and advance more supportive housing developments in Wisconsin. This collaboration has resulted in a four-part educational series, a statewide survey, and a first-of-its-kind Wisconsin Supportive Housing Institute.
