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Strategic Objective

End homelessness for veterans, people experiencing chronic homelessness, families, youth, and children.

Strategic Objective

Themes:

Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services

HUD.gov

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Overview
Progress Update

Overview

HUD’s annual “Point-in-Time” estimates measure the scope of homelessness on a single night in January of each year. Based on data reported by more than 3,000 cities and counties, the January 2013 one-night estimate reveals a 24-percent drop in homelessness among veterans and a 16-percent reduction among individuals experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness since 2010. HUD’s estimate also found the largest decline in the number of persons in families experiencing homelessness since the Department began measuring homelessness in a standard manner in 2005.

Progress Update

In FY 2015, HUD continued to learn more about what interventions work best to stably and permanently house families and individuals who experience a housing crisis, and targeted homelessness resources according to the greatest need. In January 2015, alongside the FY 2014 CoC Program renewals and awards, HUD awarded a $40 million bonus for a permanent supportive housing (PSH), dedicated to serving individuals experiencing homelessness. This award reinforces the Department’s commitment to targeting permanent supportive housing resources to households experiencing chronic homelessness, and encouraging communities to invest in permanent housing solutions. In February 2015, the Department published a policy brief summarizing the agency’s views on goals for the coordinated entry process, to inform local efforts as they develop these processes. These systems are crucial for making quick connections with families and individuals who experience a housing crisis, identifying and assessing their needs, and prioritizing resources according to that need. In July 2015, we released the 18-month findings from the Family Options Study, a randomized controlled trial that showed that families offered a housing voucher experienced better housing stability than those provided rapid re-housing, place-based transitional housing, or usual care in shelter. In light of these lessons, we have increased our communications and technical assistance to public housing authorities and multifamily property owners on how to target and serve households experiencing homelessness.

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Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal:

Use Housing as a Platform to Improve Quality of Life

Statement:

Use Housing as a Platform to Improve Quality of Life

Strategic Objectives

End homelessness for veterans, people experiencing chronic homelessness, families, youth, and children.

Statement:

End homelessness for veterans, people experiencing chronic homelessness, families, youth, and children.

Description:

*United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (June 2010).

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FY 14-15 Priority Goal: End Veterans homelessness

Statement:

In partnership, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) aim to reduce the number of Veterans living on the streets, experiencing homelessness to zero (as measured by the 2016 Point-in-Time count).

Description:

This goal represents HUD’s effort to reduce homelessness among Veterans. Veterans are overrepresented in the homeless population; while only 9.3 percent of the U.S. adult population has Veteran status, Veterans represented approximately 11.3 percent of homeless adults at a given point in time in 2014. On a single night in January 2014, there were 49,933 Veterans reported as experiencing homelessness. Veterans experiencing homelessness often face the same issues that lead others into homelessness, including a lack of affordable housing and inadequate income and savings. Service men and women returning from active duty may also have specific challenges, such as lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, which can make it more difficult for them to find and maintain adequate employment and, consequently, to pay for housing.

Effectively transitioning Veterans experiencing homelessness to permanent housing requires access to healthcare, employment, and benefits. Because Veterans have greater medical and mental health needs than non-Veterans, healthcare and its associated benefits play a significant role in achieving and maintaining stability in permanent housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness. Employment and VA benefits are critical in providing Veterans the income required to support housing and other daily living expenses.

HUD and VA continue to implement proven systems of service delivery to end Veteran homelessness, especially among those experiencing chronic homelessness, such as the Housing First approach. Housing First offers individuals and families experiencing homelessness immediate access to permanent affordable or supportive housing. Reducing clinical and economic barriers, Housing First yields higher housing retention rates, lower returns to homelessness, and significant reductions in the use of crisis service and institutions.

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Promote advancements in economic prosperity for residents of HUD-assisted housing.

Statement:

Promote advancements in economic prosperity for residents of HUD-assisted housing.

Description:

Residents of HUD-assisted housing often face challenges such as lack of employable skills and low educational attainment levels that limit their ability to become economically self-sufficient and rise out of poverty. The Department recognizes that, while some families and individuals will need assistance for longer periods, others are capable, with assistance, of rising out of poverty. A majority of adults receiving rental assistance who are able to work have some income from wages; however, they are most often in the lowest paying jobs. Further, increasing workplace demands for technical expertise require attention to education and training for both adults and youth, including digital literacy. HUD will utilize its housing platform to expand access to employment and educational services. HUD seeks to significantly increase the economic opportunities available to low-income residents in neighborhoods where it invests, particularly through the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program and Section 3.

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Promote the health and housing stability of vulnerable populations.

Statement:

Promote the health and housing stability of vulnerable populations.

Description:

Many residents of HUD-assisted housing face health-related challenges, especially elderly people, people with disabilities, homeless people, and those individuals and families at risk of becoming homeless. New studies of the health status of HUD residents show that they have higher rates of chronic health conditions and higher utilization of hospitals and emergency rooms than peer comparison groups. Some may have a criminal record, a history of homelessness, be making the transition out of military service back into civilian life, or be transitioning out of healthcare treatment settings.

In 2013, one out of every six Americans did not have health insurance. Hardworking families in HUD housing may not get insurance from their employers, and they may not make enough money to afford a plan for their family. Without health insurance, families risk forgoing necessary preventive care or facing economic catastrophe from a major illness.

In January 2014, many more affordable insurance options became available through the new health insurance marketplaces, including, in those states that have opted in, an expansion of Medicaid. When residents of HUD-assisted housing also have health insurance, they gain an additional stepping stone to better health and financial security. This makes for healthier, stronger households and communities.

The Affordable Care Act can help as many as 40 million currently uninsured Americans find greater peace of mind and financial stability that will help them work toward their own goals and dreams. Access to health insurance is important, but so too is access to health care. As the healthcare system develops new tools to provide better care at a lower cost, new partnerships are needed between housing and the healthcare system.

Additionally, work led by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and HHS related to enforcement of and compliance with the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision reinforces the rights of individuals with disabilities to live, work, and receive services in the greater community in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. As a result of Olmstead, there is a significant need for affordable, integrated housing opportunities where individuals with disabilities are able to live and interact with individuals without disabilities. Achieving this goal requires an increase in the supply of integrated housing options so that individuals have meaningful choice in where they live, including housing without services and supportive housing with access to voluntary services.

HUD also helps protect the health of residents of assisted multifamily and public housing from both direct and environmental (that is, second- and third-hand) tobacco smoke exposure by encouraging owners of assisted housing and PHAs to issue and implement smoke-free policies and by providing outreach and technical support. The Department will enhance those efforts to help reduce the extent of this public health problem among residents of its housing portfolio.

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