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With the passage of the Second Chance Act and the growing number of individuals exiting the jail and prison system, re-entry has become an important topic. The National Conference on Ending Homelessness hosted by NAEH presented successful strategies in working with jail diversion and re-entry issues. Francesca Martin of the Corporation for Supportive Housing in Connecticut and JoAnne Paige of the Fortune Society in New York spoke on programs in their respective state that have addressed the issue of re-entry.

The Corporation for Supportive Housing in partnership with the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the Connecticut Department of Corrections and the Court Support Services Division is developing a Frequent Users of Jail and Shelter Pilot project. Still in the development phase, this project will create 30 units of enhanced supportive housing targeting those who have had 4 shelter stays and 4 incarcerations within the 5 years. The program will offer two years of enhanced services with housing located in the community through a scattered site model. Services will be funded through the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the collaborative hopes to partner with local Public Housing Authorities to obtain Section 8 vouchers for this program.

The Fortune Society located in New York City offers a variety of low threshold housing options for homeless individuals exiting the Read the rest of this entry »

The National Alliance to End Homelessness kicked off their 2008 National Conference on Ending Homelessness July 28, 2008. With representatives from all over the country gathering to learn new and innovative strategies for ending homelessness in their communities, the first day of the conference began with a bang. Pre-conference sessions were held from 9-12 and were filled well past capacity as participants eagerly shared ideas and experiences.

The conference officially opened at 1 pm with a opening address made by Nan Roman, Executive Director of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. The room overflowed with participants as Nan Roman discussed the need for strong federal leadership in ending homeleness and expansion of efforts to various sub-populations such as homeless veterans, families and youth. Those attending the opening plenary were provided copies fo the National Alliance the End Homelessness short video on Rapid Re-housing for homeless families and participants walked away energized and ready to learn about how to end homelessness in their communities.

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New in the 2008 Continuum of Care application cycle are funds set aside for Rapid Re-Housing Demonstration projects. As indicated in the Continuum of Care NOFA released on July 11, 2008, Congress has appropriated $25 million dollars for Rapid Re-housing programs that will be funded in each of the 10 HUD regions. HUD will award $23.75 million in Rapid Re-Housing for Families demonstration projects with $1.25 million set aside for an independent study of the selected programs. To view requirements and scoring criteria for Rapid Re-Housing projects submitted through the 2008 Continuum of Care application, click the link below.

2008 Rapid Re-Housing Requirements

For communities that are looking to create Rapid Re-Housing projects, there is a wealth of information provided through research on existing Housing First for Families programs. In March of 2004, the National Alliance to End Homelessness published a study of Housing First Programs for Families. Highlighting programs in 14 different communities, this study details the structure of various Rapid Re-Housing programs from across the country.

Research conducted by LFA (LaFrance Associates, LLC) found that all housing first programs shared key program design components above the overall goal of providing housing to families first and foremost and wrapping services around them according to their needs once permanent housing is secured. These key program design components include: Read the rest of this entry »