It’s not every day that a state agency steps out front to showcase what is working and what isn’t and what can be done to make things work better. That’s what happened with the recent release of the Individual Homelessness System Needs Assessment by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC). Two findings by way of example:
- Significant increases in shelter capacity have not reduced the number of homeless people. Adding shelter capacity, while necessary, has, as a sole intervention, proven ineffective in reducing homelessness.
- HLC spends less money per person per night in Permanent Supportive Housing settings than in emergency shelter settings.
And two recommendations:
- Substantially increase investment in Permanent Supportive Housing for vulnerable disabled homeless persons.
- More modest increases in investment in emergency responses to sustain current capacities by supporting rising personnel and operational expenses.
Take a look at the whole report to learn much more. Special thanks to Gordie Calkins, HLC Director of Individual Homelessness Systems, for his leadership in making this report possible.
