Successes of Housing First Homeless Initiatives

Homelessness is a complex and pressing issue that affects millions of individuals across the US; it's an issue rooted in various social, economic, and political policies. Deeper issues such as lack of affordable housing, job opportunities, and mental health services all contribute to those experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, certain marginalized communities are disproportionately affected due to discrimination; these include racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and the mentally ill. In order to combat the problem, a multifaceted approach must be taken in order to cause massive change. Despite large efforts, homelessness still remains persistent and pervasive throughout the United States, especially in California. 

One of the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s (CDHCD) largest initiatives is Project Homekey, “A statewide effort to sustain and rapidly expand housing for persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.” Homekey provides opportunities, through government grant money and donations, for homeless people or those at-risk of homelessness to receive shelter in housing that various entities are paid to supply and create. These people, organizations, cities, and counties are essentially paid to convert “motels, hostels, single-family homes, multifamily apartments, adult residential facilities, and manufactured housing” into permanent or interim housing for homeless people. In 2020, CDHCD received $550 million in Federal Coronavirus Relief (FCR) funds which ended up being $750 million through donations and through the further distribution of money from the FCR funds. In 2021, Project Homekey was initiated with $1.4 billion in government grant money after the success of its predecessor, Project Roomkey, and in response to the impacts of COVID-19.

Source: CAHCD

Project Homekey is based on the “Housing-First” approach to tackling homelessness, which prioritizes the provision of housing to those experiencing homelessness with the belief that access to decent and permanent shelter must come before “stabilizing, improving health, reducing harmful behaviors, or increasing income.” It's based on the notion that in order to seek personal goals and acquire a stronger quality of life, one’s personal needs must be met and one must have access to necessities; this notion is known as the “hierarchy of needs” and emphasizes necessities like clean water, shelter, and food as the first steps essential for happiness. 

Source: verywellmind.com

Senate Bill 1380 (Mitchell) was passed in 2016 by California Legislature and mandated that “all housing programs” must implement the Housing First model; these are comprised of several “core components” which consist of requirements that make it easier for homeless people—and people in general, but intended to benefit homeless people—to become and stay tenants. Some examples include but are not limited to, tenant screening regardless of sobriety and substance use, housing applicants cannot be denied due to a criminal record, and that tenants must have a lease and all rights to tenancy. The Housing First model is allegedly an evidence-based model and through its practice, an increasing amount of proof has surfaced which demonstrates its success, but for tenants in general—not necessarily for homeless people. However, has the Housing First model been effective in California? 

A study led by Pacific Research Institute dug into the future and present effectiveness of Homekey and revealed negative results. Previous trends of homeless populations have increased in California from 2016-2020 despite similar Housing First Models being put in practice; in comparison, the other 49 states have seen a decline in homeless populations. Simply put, plans to combat homelessness in California have been failing, which questions the viability of California’s Housing First models. 

Source: HUD

The graph above indicates that California’s Housing First models, although in theory may be effective in transforming the lives of homeless people, are in fact not. For instance, right after the approval of Senate Bill 1380 in 2016, over $1 billion in bonds was allocated to housing for homeless people in the Los Angeles area over a period of time. Homelessness, despite these large Housing First model initiatives, has still been on the incline; the same prior unsuccessful principles are being used in Project Homekey’s approach. 

Compared to the rest of the US, California has a high unsheltered homeless population. Over the last five years, there has been a rise in sheltered homeless people; to elaborate, if unsheltered homeless people become sheltered then theoretically the number of unsheltered homeless people should decrease because they attain some sort of shelter. However, the number of unsheltered homeless people has continued to increase, which reveals California’s attempts at the Housing First model may be futile in preventing homelessness.

California’s plan to address homelessness ultimately yields poor results because it does not address the factors which cause it. For example, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) “about 30% of people who are chronically homeless have mental health conditions”. Rather than managing an issue like mental health, such as constructing mental health clinics for homeless people, California’s Housing First models have spent billions of dollars to remove a fraction of the homeless population off the streets, while even more citizens become homeless. In addition, the initiatives have not been cost-effective, and therefore not scalable. 

Housing First models are not all bad; successful examples have been and are currently in practice across America. One notable triumphant Housing First model succeeded in the Houston region which decreased its homeless population by around 63%. Houston’s success was derived from one of its major innovations on the barebone Housing First model: coordination and communication. By centralizing all services for the homeless, which include non-profits, the government, grants, and more, and placing them all under one umbrella, the government was able to make progress in tackling the issue. More than 100 local and regional organizations joined a combined continuum named The Way Home. Houston, through The Way Home, worked to streamline its process for collecting data and eventually started collecting real-time data; this allowed more coordinated efforts, which in turn allowed for greater efficiency. In addition, Houston made it extremely easy for homeless people to receive permanent housing through the aforementioned coordination. 

Source: endhomelessness.org

Source: endhomelessness.org

Houston’s success is a testament to the possibility of effective solutions to the homeless crises and to the Housing First model, even when faced with significant challenges, such as a decline in affordable housing—similar to cities across California. Unlike California’s solutions, Houston did not solely rely on financial resources to address homelessness. Houston took a simple, yet significantly greater comprehensive approach than simply throwing money at the issue. Other places across the US, California included, should follow in Houston’s footsteps to help end homelessness.