Strategies for Preventing Homelessness

HUD commissioned an exploratory study to identify and document communities that have implemented effective and well-targeted community-wide homelessness prevention strategies and data to document their effectiveness. This study documents these approaches in six communities with the hope that other communities might learn how to carry out similar efforts. The study identified a number of elements that could contribute to homelessness prevention, as well as a number of promising prevention activities that could be used alone or in combination as part of a coherent community-wide strategy. The promising prevention activities include: (1) supportive services coupled with permanent housing, particularly when combined with effective discharge from institutions, especially mental hospitals; (2) mediation in Housing Courts; (3) cash assistance for rent or mortgage arrears; and (4) rapid exit from shelter.