Rapid Re-housing Works in Connecticut

Where are they now?

Three years later, did Rapid Re-housing work in Connecticut?   

Rapid Re-housing is short-term financial assistance and services such as case management, outreach, and housing search for individuals and families who are in emergency shelter or on the streets and need temporary assistance in order to obtain and retain housing.   Rapid Re-housing does not meet the needs of every person experiencing homelessness, but is an important option for many.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing (HPRP) Program allowed providers in Connecticut to greatly expand Rapid Re-housing services in 2010.  Under HPRP, and in three years, just under three million dollars went toward Rapid Re-housing services for 3,100 people in over 1,600 households.  In 2013, we can look back on this data to consider the questions: Was that money well spent? Did those people return to shelter?



Rapid Re-housing Works in Connecticut.
Since Connecticut clients received Rapid Re-housing services through HPRP, only a small number have returned to shelter.  These results are consistent with Rapid Re-housing outcomes across the nation. [2]  Rapid Re-housing appears to be especially successful for families with children in Connecticut.

Three years after receiving Rapid Re-housing, eighty-two percent (82%) of singles have not returned to a Connecticut shelter. For families, the result is 95%.

At the two year post-exit mark, almost 90% of singles and 94% of families had not returned to shelter.


The graph below illustrates the percent of singles and persons in families that returned to shelter after exiting from Rapid Re-housing services in 2010, 2011, and 2012. [3]

After Exiting the Program, How Many Rapid Re-housing Recipients had not returned to shelter in Connecticut  [4]

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¹ National Alliance to End Homelessness, Rapid Re-Housing: Creating Programs that Work, http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/rapid-re-housing-creating-programs-that-work

² United States Interagency Council, Emerging Research Indicates Rapid Re-Housing Sets Up for Success, Katharine Gale, Policy Director, August 2013. http://www.usich.gov/media_center/blog/RRH_research

³ Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, CT HPRP Returns to Shelter report, Connecticut Homelessness Management Information System (CT HMIS), August 2013.

⁴ Results show returns to shelter after varying lengths of time “at risk” for return.  Those exiting in 2012 were measured at 9 months post-exit while those exiting in 2010 were measured some 3 years post-exit.  This means that it is possible to compare Family/Individual returns within but not across exit cohort years.

Additional Resources

Anderson, Lindsay. (2013). Ending Family Homelessness. National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference: July 22-24, 2013, Washington, D.C.   http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/4.1-integrating-rapid-Re-housing-and-employment-strategies-for-families

Batko, Samantha. (2013, May 21). Data Points: Rapid Re-Housing Works. National Alliance to End Homelessness. http://www.endhomelessness.org/blog/entry/data-points-rapid-re-housing-works#.UgaVk2RgaRk

Burden, Jamey. (2013). Basics of Rapid Re-Housing. National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference: July 22-24, 2013, Washington, D.C.  http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/1.1-basics-of-rapid-Re-housing

Byrne, Thomas. (2013). The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing: Housing Outcomes of Veterans Exiting the Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) Program. National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference: July 22-24, 2013, Washington, D.C.  http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/2.1-emerging-research-on-rapid-rehousing

Fetzer-Rice, Beth. (2013). Basics of Rapid Re-Housing. National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference: July 22-24, 2013, Washington, D.C.  http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/1.1-basics-of-rapid-Re-housing

Cotter, Meghann. (2013). Micah Ecumenical Ministries: Housing the ‘Un-Houseable: Using Relationship-Based Service Models to Rapidly Re-Housing Single Adults. National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference: July 22-24, 2013, Washington, D.C.  http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/5.1-rapid-rehousing-models-for-single-adults

Foster, Sage B. (2010) Rapid Re-Housing Program, HPRP Innovative Strategies for Housing Single Adults. National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference: July 12-14, 2010, Washington, D.C.  http://fr.slideshare.net/naehomelessness/53-rapid-rehousing-for-single-adults-foster

Housing Innovations. (2012, November 19). Homelessness Resolution Strategy: Rochester and Monroe County Final Report. City of Rochester, N.Y. http://www.cityofrochester.gov/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=8589956335

Rodriguez, Jason. (2013). Georgia Department of Community Affairs: Rapid Re-Housing and Homelessness Recurrence in Georgia.  National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference: July 22-24, 2013, Washington, D.C. http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/2.1-emerging-research-on-rapid-rehousing

Taylor, Jamie Vanasse & Pratt-Roebuck, Katrina. (2013). Cloudburst Consulting Group & Office of Supportive Housing and the City of Philadelphia: Evaluating Philadelphia’s Rapid Re-Housing Impacts on Housing Stability and Income. National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference: July 22-24, 2013, Washington, D.C.  http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/2.1-emerging-research-on-rapid-rehousing

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2013, May 6). Building the Bridge to the Future: Lessons Learned from HPRP. YouTube HUD Channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzTFg5iuOyc
 

mHEALTH Project Accepting Referrals

mHEALTH Project Description

mHEALTH (Medical Home Engagement and Aligning Lifestyles and Transition from Homelessness) is a program to engage and retain HIV positive, homeless individuals with mental health or substance abuse disorders into medical homes that provide HIV primary care, behavioral health, housing, and care coordination services.  Yale Clinical and Community Research Program at the Yale School of Medicine is collaborating with the Connecticut Department of Correction and Liberty Community Services to improve the quality of life for those living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) through integrated primary and behavioral healthcare, care coordination and assistance with housing and supportive services.  The people we wish to help through this program are homeless PLWHA who are primarily transitioning from the criminal justice system (CJS) and those that are not retained in HIV care in New Haven, CT.

The mHEALTH program  will include, but is not limited to:  1) creating and maintaining a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) through an expanded, new Collaborative Network of Services for PLWHA by expanding the existing New Haven Ryan White Consortium to promote access to and retention in primary HIV care for homeless PLWHA; 2) creating a referral form for interagency and Early Alert Service by deploying the city-wide RW Consortium electronic database to identify individuals who are no longer engaged in care; 3) provision of onsite addiction treatment and mental health services provided through a mobile outreach on the Community Health Care Van (CHCV) to ensure early intervention services (EIS); 4) use a Network Navigator (NN) to provide intensive case management (ICM) that includes elements of the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and ACCESS programs to ensure that homeless PLWHA are fully engaged in a PCMH structure that will overcome individual, clinician and system level barriers to housing; and 5) provide directly administered antiretroviral therapy (DAART) for homeless PLWHA who are struggling with adherence to ART.

People may self-refer.  Case Managers may make referrals.  Please use this link:

Click Here to Make Referral

Area Agency on Aging

 

WHAT ARE AREA AGENCIES ON AGING?

Connecticut Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) are private, nonprofit service organizations that provide planning, program development and grant funding for older adult services. The AAAs receive federal Older Americans Act funds and state funds through the Connecticut Department of Social Services, Aging Services Division. They allocate funds to elderly service providers through a request for proposal process. Area Agencies on Aging provide direct services in the areas of community education, advocacy, case management, information and assistance, benefits counseling and training.

 

They also administer the CHOICES Program which provides older adults with health insurance counseling, information and referral to senior services, and eligibility screening for state and federal benefit programs. They also research and evaluate elderly issues, offer community education and serve as an advocate for older individuals. In Connecticut, there are five regional AAAs – one in each region of the state.

• Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging
  http://www.swcaa.org/pages/home.php
• South Central Connecticut Agency on Aging
  http://www.aoapartnerships.org/
• Senior Resources – Agency on Aging – Eastern Connecticut
  http://www.seniorresourcesec.org/
• North Central Area Agency on Aging
  http://www.ncaaact.org/
• Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging
  http://www.wcaaa.org/

COST

• No fee for services

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

• Connecticut residents
• Services are targeted for people ages 60+; People under age 60 who are disabled and who need assistance regarding Medicare issues can also use CHOICES

TO FIND PROVIDERS IN CONNECTICUT'S COMMUNITY RESOURCES DATABASE:

Search by agency name:

• Southwest Connecticut Region: Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging
• South Central Connecticut Region: Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut
• East Connecticut Region: Senior Resources - Agency on Aging - Eastern Connecticut
• North Central Connecticut Region: North Central Area Agency on Aging
• Northwest Connecticut Region: Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging

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 PREPARED BY: 211/rj
 CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: June2012

VASH Vouchers Available!

Subject: CT BOS - VASH Vouchers available
Importance: High

Dear Providers:

At our CT BOS CoC Steering Committee meeting last week, Matt Abbott from the VA let us know that there are available VASH vouchers for chronically homeless persons/families currently available.  If you have any interested clients, please contact him directly at Matthew.Abbott@va.gov

Sincerely,
Steve DiLella and John Merz
CT BOS CoC Co-Chairs

Need Help Paying Bills?

New Haven rent assistance.

Get information on New Haven rent assistance programs. A number of agencies, non-profit organizations, and government programs provide rent help to low income individuals and families.

If you are faced with an eviction, or falling behind on your monthly rental payments, call or stop by a location in New Haven for details on rental assistance programs and services. A number of different grant programs and homeless prevention services and resources can be applied to for low income housing and/or rent help. Some provide emergency assistance, others offer longer term payments, counseling, and self-sufficiency. Also learn about government rent assistance such as Section 8 and homeless prevention and rapid rehousing.

• Community Action Agency of New Haven – For people experiencing a financial emergency or short term hardship, they can provide onetime cash assistance, immediately, through a grant from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Money paid out is intended to help pay rent or mortgage if faced with an eviction or foreclosure. 781 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut 06515, phone (203) 387-7700.
•  Community Mediation, Inc. – Access money to pay rent, as well as mediation to deal with landlord-tenant issues. The state offers a program from the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) which is a housing mediation program. It includes a rent payment option that can help pay a portion of the back rent or mortgage if facing eviction. Provides financial assistance and mediation to help landlords and tenants, or even homeowners and mortgage holders, resolve conflicts over back rent or loan payments. It can also deal with repairs, late rent payments, and other housing issues or expenses. In addition, applicants may receive assistance up to $1200 to pay their no more than one month's rent as well. Support is for people facing homelessness. Resident of Branford, East Haven, Hamden, New Haven, North Haven or West Haven can apply if you are experiencing a non-recurring, unexpected, documentable hardship. Applicants to the program need to have received a notice to quit or notice of foreclosure. Address is 32 Elm Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. Call (203) 782-3500.
•  Connecticut Social Services - Southern Regional Office, New Haven administers state and federal cash assistance for low income individuals and families with children, individuals or families who are elderly or disabled, and refugees. Dial (203) 974-8000. 
• Columbus House, Inc. – Runs the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing (HPRP) program for the New Haven Connecticut region. It can offer cash grants and financial assistance, with the goal of preventing homelessness by providing financial and rental assistance to eligible families. Some of the people who can get help include individuals and couples without children who are homeless or facing possible homelessness. The program is intended to help applicants who but for this assistance, would be homeless or evicted from their home or apartment. It is not intended to be a long term charity program. The non-profit also offers comprehensive case management services agency-wide through emergency, permanent, and transitional housing. Specialists and on site case managers provide assessment and referrals to appropriate community services, including charities and state and federal government programs, to help clients identify and overcome many of the causes of their homelessness. 586 Ella T. Grasso Boulevard, New Haven, CT 06519, phone (203) 401-4400. 
• Liberty Community Services, Inc. – Another New Haven non-profit that may be able to provides temporary, short term financial assistance for paying rent and housing costs. In addition, work with a counselor for housing relocation and stabilization services, which is being offered to people who are homeless or would be homeless but for this assistance. They do also administer eviction prevention assistance, which is intended to keep current housing or help people move to other housing. Other services include rental assistance for a maximum of 18 months, funds to pay up to 6 months back rent, security deposits and utility deposits, and even most cost expenses. 129 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, phone (203) 495-7600.
• New Haven Office of Management and Budget also runs the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. It can provide money for security deposits, short and long term rent funds too. Call (203) 946-8390. 
• TEAM, INC. administers an eviction prevention program for the county. It is offered to qualified residents who are facing a one-time financial challenge and who need rental assistance. Your application will be reviewed. Note if you owe too much money you may not qualify. An eviction/notice to quite is also required. Location is 30 Elizabeth Street, Century Plaza, Derby, CT 06418-1846. Call (203) 736-5420. 
• New Haven Home Recovery, Inc. – Offers assistance programs that serve families who are at imminent risk of homelessness, or who are homeless today. Apply for emergency rental assistance, including back rent. Money can also help pay for security and utility deposits. Even get money for heating and electric bills. Money can pay moving costs. Last, but not least, the agency is a great place for referrals to other local charities and agencies as well as shelters when appropriate. Free legal advice can be obtained too. They also run two family stabilization programs, one in Fair Haven and one in Bridgeport Connecticut. Address - 153 East Street, New Haven, CT 06511, (203) 492-4866. 
• Continuum of Care, Inc. administers the Housing Resource Development Program. They offer financial assistance and housing placement. Program Staff search throughout Greater New Haven County area to help qualified people locate low income housing and staff also administer rental subsidy loans and rental supplemental grants for families and/or individuals with mental health needs who can live independently in the region. Apply for requests for rental assistance, and the organization may also providing bridge subsidy and security deposit loans to the low income. 67 Trumbull Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, dial (203) 401-2082.
• CMHC runs the New Haven Shelter Plus Care Program. The non-profit can offer financial assistance with rent expenses, support services, and access to either short term or permanent housing rental subsidies working poor and/or homeless individuals. Applicants need to have a serious, HIV/AIDS, or some other condition. The agency passes out rental assistance certificates. 319 Peck Street, Building #1, New Haven, CT 06513. Call (203) 764-6330.
• Elderly Services of New Haven offers the Rent Rebate Program for the Elderly & Disabled. Rebates and subsidies are offered. Address is 165 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, phone (203) 946-7854. Read more on housing programs for seniors.
   Rental Assistance Program is run by the New Haven Department of Social Services. Phone (203) 757-1138. The state of Connecticut RAP program is the major state-funded program for helping very low-income individuals and families pay for safe, decent, yet affordable housing and apartments.

Need Help Paying Bills?

Tips for Sharing an Apartment

Roommates and Sharing an Apartment

 

Many renters often consider sharing an apartment. The main benefit we found in our research is a financial one. With the rent cut in half, or three ways perhaps, a larger apartment or one in a more exclusive area can suddenly be affordable. But sharing an apartment isn’t always that easy. With some tips you can make this transition into roommate life a pleasurable one.

Helpful Tips for Finding a Roommate

— Benefits of Sharing an Apartment

— The Drawbacks of Sharing an Apartment

— Finding a Roommate

— Questions for a Potential Roommate

— Rooming with a Friend

— Roommate  Agreements

— How to Eliminate Conflicts

• Benefits of Sharing an Apartment

Probably, the main benefit of sharing an apartment is a financial one.  Having a roommate to share in the rent and other expenses allows you to perhaps have that larger living space that was otherwise out of your price range, or maybe you can move into that apartment in a great location which had a higher rental rate. In this case, a roommate could be a blessing, especially if you both love the apartment and the neighborhood. a roommate also can help share in house hold duties like cleaning, dishes, and laundry. Sharing the work makes life easier, especially if you work full-time or have a job in which you travel a bit. If you are away, the plants will still get watered and the cat fed by your roommate, and of course you will do the same for him or her.  Once you work out personal and financial responsibilities, have a roommate can be quite nice. There will be always someone there to talk to, share the day with, and give support to. Loneliness will be at a minimum.

• The Drawbacks of Sharing an Apartment

Inevitably personalities clash. Often you’ll meet someone and have so much in common, feel like you’ve found a best friend or a sister or brother of sorts, only to realize months down the line that this person is not what they seemed. This is always the risk with finding a roommate, especially one you’ve never met before, and is one of the biggest disadvantages of sharing an apartment. If you find that you simply cannot get along over time, it maybe difficult to get out of the rental situation, especially if a lease has been signed. If you’ve overstepped with your money due to having a roommate share the expenses, this could be a big problem. If they split, you could be stuck with full responsibility. It would be advantageous to have both of you sign a rental agreement that holds both of you accountable for rent and other expenses should this happen.

Lack of privacy is often another complaint with roommates sharing an apartment. If you are a people person and don’t like to be alone, a roommate is a perfect idea, but there are still times when one needs a little space and their own privacy. Often you may want to do something when you get home from a long day at work, and find your roommate entertaining a few friends or watching TV. Setting boundaries, and schedules for guests is paramount to a good roommate relationship.

Division of chores is another difficulty, especially if one of you isn’t as neat as the other. Often a renter will complain that they live with a slob, or someone who doesn’t pull their own weight when it comes to cleaning up the apartment. Again, a schedule should be set to clarify who does what in you apartment, and the person held accountable if they don’t.

• Finding a Roommate

Finding a great roommate can be difficult, especially finding someone who is compatible with your personality. Finding someone who you can get along with, have similar interests, and setting up apartment responsibilities and guidelines will be a great advantage. Creating and signing a roommate agreement will help make an easier transition into sharing an apartment. You can advertise for a roommate in the local paper or local magazines. This will open you up to a lot of phone calls, perhaps some one-on- one meetings in public places, and possible visits to your apartment or theirs. In any case, it is wise to be very cautious, not to go alone to meetings, and have a few conversations before hand to get a better feel on the person involved.

Roommates.com is a roommate finding site especially designed with renters who want to share their apartment living space. It is easy to use, easy to explore, and it’s free. When we checked it out we found the site well organized. You can make a profile of yourself, listing what your likes and dislikes are, the area you live in, your schedule, etc. You can upload a profile picture, and pictures the apartment you wish to share. There is a sample profile right on the front page of the site to get an idea of how to do this. Then you simply search for the city you live in, or are looking to move to, and view other potential roommate profiles. You will see all the other posted pictures and profiles. One testimonial stated that Roommates.com was a safe, secure way to interview a new roommate. We highly recommend this site if you are looking for someone you don’t know to room with.

• Questions for a Potential Roommate

Be open when interviewing a new roommate. Listen carefully. And be willing to answer their questions also. The following are some questions to ask:

• Have you been a roommate in the past?
• Why did you move out?
• Did anything your previous roommate do really bother you?
• What kind of job do you have? How long have you worked there?
• What is your work schedule like?
• On average, what time do you go to bed and wake up?
• Do you have a pet? If so, what kind?
• Do you smoke?
• Do you use drugs or drink?
• Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Will they be staying over and how frequently?
• Do you consider yourself to be a neat or a messy person?
• Will you work together to keep the apartment clean?
• Will you share the cost of groceries and cleaning products for the apartment?
• Do you follow a specific diet, vegetarian, vegan, diabetic, or any other?
• If you watch television, what do you like to watch? How often do you watch TV?
• Do you have a lot of friends that will be visiting?
• Will you have parties?
• Are you a musician? What instrument do you play? Do you practice and how often?
• Will you co-sign a lease?
• References? Previous roommate references? Landlord references?

You of course can add to this list any particular things you’d like to know or share with a potential roommate. Keep in mind that some of these questions can be an automatic yes or no with the person interviewed. For example, if they have a cat, and you are allergic to cats this can be the deal breaker. Smokers and non-smokers can be another problem.

• Rooming with a Friend

Sharing your apartment with someone you already know can be an easiest way to find a roommate. All the “getting-to-know” ground-work is already done. You know that you both share similar interests and perhaps your schedules are compatible. The interviewing process would be basically unnecessary. However, keep in mind that living in close proximity with someone, even a person you know well, can have challenges. You learn quite a bit more about a person when you live with them, and you may not like everything you find. Patience and understanding are keys to keeping a good roommate relationship with a friend. Build your renting partnership with trust, understanding and honesty, and we also recommend that you make a written renters agreement together, even though he or she is a friend. This way there will be no misunderstandings, financial or otherwise, in the future and you friendship will endure beyond your years of rooming together.

• Roommate Agreements

Here are a few ideas on how to keep roommate frustrations to a minimum. Consider the following items when forming an agreement with your new roommate (or friend-roommate!).

• Space issues – What areas are to be shared in the apartment and what areas are to be private (bedroom, bathroom, etc.).
• Personal Items – How food and other items are to be shared such as shampoos, towels, medicines. Set standards of usage. Label items with your name if necessary to set boundaries and ease confusion.
• Cleanliness – Hopefully you are both on the same page when it comes to keeping the apartment clean and are both willing to contribute. Create a cleaning schedule with who does what each week.
• Noise – Agree on noise levels during certain times of day, such as music playing, instrument playing, or television watching.
• Expenses – Perhaps the most important consideration. Money is the toughest issue between people but has to be dealt with respectfully. Agree to who pays for what and the splitting of rent and expenses ahead of time to save a lot of future disagreements.
• Storage – The storage space in you apartment can be limited. Examine the areas together and divide as evenly as possible. Areas to consider are: kitchen cabinet shelves, refrigerator shelves or drawers, bathroom storage spaces, and closets.
• Overnight Guests and Parties – Set limits or notice times (like a day or two beforehand) that need to be given to your roommate so that no surprises or problems arise that could ruin an otherwise fun occasion.

More information on Roommate agreements here.

• How to Eliminate Conflicts

Here are just a few suggestions on how to keep a roommate relationship in balance when the inevitable conflict arises.

First, be sure to be calm when confrontation is necessary. Saving yourself up with your anger, and exploding the first chance you get to talk with your roommate will not help the situation. Instead speak openly and focus on the problem at hand, not on multiple things that may be bothering you.

Ask each other what you can do together to change the present situation. Perhaps your roommate keeps using your favorite shampoo. Does she need her own? Can she afford it? What can each of you do to keep the problem from happening again?

Find out the needs and personal thoughts on the issue before jumping in with attack words. Your roommate may be thinking one way about something, and you another. Conversations that start with you both on the same page will be more beneficial.

And lastly, consider bringing in a mediator to help with a larger or deeper problem between you and your roommate. A neutral party can clarify things, and bring new light to the situation.

Sharing an apartment can be a joyful experience. You can make a friendship that will last a life-time with the right, compatible person sharing your space. By considering all the benefits and drawbacks, asking the right questions, setting up a good roommate agreement, and preventing conflicts with productive conversations, you will have no problem finding the right person to share and enjoy your apartment.

http://www.apartmentsilike.com/cms/renters-news/sharing-an-apartment

What about Transitional Housing?

SNAPS Weekly Focus: What about Transitional Housing? Over the last several years, better information has emerged about how different homeless service models really work, which has prompted a discussion about what we as a community might do to make sure that our housing and service programs reach as many people as possible with the best outcomes possible. We have started using words like efficient and effective to describe the promising practices such as Rapid Re-housing and Housing First. At times, the conversation can be uncomfortable. The decisions we need to make are hard. And of course having hard and uncomfortable discussions when we are experiencing budget cuts are all that much more difficult and uncomfortable. And at the center of many of these discussions at both the local and national levels has been the subject of transitional housing.    I get asked on a regular basis about HUD’s position on transitional housing. Some people think that HUD simply wants to get rid of this type of housing altogether. To those folks I often say this – HUD does not advocate the wholesale removal of one type of homeless resource in a community (like emergency shelter or transitional housing) with the replacement of another (like rapid re-housing). That would be short-sighted, and does not take into account the specific needs of communities. What HUD really wants is for communities to be strategic, to have the tough conversations, and really use their data to be sure that whatever programs they have in place to serve families and individuals experiencing homelessness are part of a larger system approach, and have the best outcomes possible. Transitional housing is an eligible component of the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program and can be a necessary part of a CoC’s homeless assistance portfolio. However, it is time for CoCs to look at transitional housing programs with a critical eye – look at recent research, review each program’s eligibility criteria, analyze outcomes and occupancy rates, and make sure the services offered (and paid for) actually match the needs of people experiencing homelessness within the CoC. Many transitional housing programs may need to change their program design or serve a different population. For example, some may need to remove strict eligibility criteria that result in those families that really need intensive services being screened out (often resulting in low occupancy). In other cases, the best course of action is to reallocate the transitional housing program in favor of a more promising model. For many years, using HUD funds for transitional housing was the only funding alternative for serving families and individuals that did not need permanent supportive housing. With rapid re-housing now eligible under both the CoC Program and the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program, there is an alternative and promising option for families with low-barriers that need shorter interventions. Rapid re-housing can be done with a lower cost per household – increasing the total number of households that can be served with the same amount of funding. If the majority of households served in your CoC's transitional housing are families with lower barriers, you should consider reallocating those projects into new rapid re-housing projects for families. Similarly, as CoCs move to a more direct Housing First approach, eligible households with disabilities that will need long-term assistance likely do not need an interim stay in transitional housing.  For example, a CoC that has a high number of people in transitional housing waiting for placement into permanent supportive housing should consider reallocating those transitional housing units into new permanent supportive housing. We know that there are families and individuals who need more assistance than rapid re-housing offers but who do not qualify for permanent supportive housing. Transitional housing should be reserved for those populations that most need that type of intervention – programs that serve domestic violence survivors and youth and those that provide substance abuse treatment come to mind first – rather than being used either as a holding pattern for those that really need permanent supportive housing or those that need less intensive interventions. As we move forward, I hope that we can continue the conversation about what interventions can have the most positive impact. Change is hard, and there are a lot of details that need to be discussed when approaching the question of transitional housing at both the national and local levels. But with open discussion, the use of data, and the commitment to systems change rather than a program-oriented approach we can ensure that homeless services dollars are used to the biggest possible benefit for those whom we all serve. Below are some interesting readings on transitional housing to spark local discussion: The Family Options Study Rearranging the Deck Chairs or Reallocating the Lifeboats?: Homelessness Assistance and Its Alternatives Characteristics of Transitional Housing for Homeless Families Life After Transitional Housing Homeless Families Don’t forget to check back to SNAPS Weekly Focus page over the coming weeks as we will continue to post related materials and TA products related to each weekly focus, as they become available. As always, we thank you for your commitment to ending homelessness. Ann Marie Oliva Director, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs