The Federal Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program provides eligible low-income families with an income-conditioned voucher that pays for a portion of rental costs in privately owned, affordable housing units. This paper extends prior…

Given the current recession, many families are at risk for homelessness. This issue brief from the Urban Institute examines the current state of homelessness in the United States. Authors review how community responses to homelessness are…

This Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit was created to provide homeless service providers a roadmap for becoming trauma-informed. The Toolkit provides concrete guidelines for modifying practices and policies and ensuring appropriate responses to…

This report is from the Brookings Institution and reviews income inequality and new housing construction in 215 metropolitan areas. Findings show that between 1970 and 2000, distressed and non-distressed metropolitan areas with rapidly growing…

The LA HOPE project is designed to support clients in permanent supportive housing transition into gainful employment. The project provides a safety net to address barriers to self-sufficiency, which includes long-term substance abuse barriers.…

This report from the Urban Institute offers an update on affordable rental housing in Louisiana after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. It was estimated that 36 percent of homeowner stock and 56 percent of rental…

The Urban Institute authored this report on findings from the Opportunity and Ownership Project. Information in this report is provided on housing reforms necessary to support low-income families. Researchers argue that shifting public funds from…

From the Urban Institute, this paper is an evaluation of the Special Homeless Initiative (HI) of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. The Homeless Initiative was designed to prevent and end homelessness among the most vulnerable clients…

The Department of Mental Health in Massachusetts is committed to preventing homelessness for people with serious mental illness. From the Urban Institute, this report is the beginning of an evaluation of the Homelessness Initiative, and provides…

This study tests family homelessness based on patterns of public shelter use and examines whether family characteristics are associated with homelessness. It was found that 20% of homeless families are in shelters for longer periods, and some…