We can end homelessness for people with the most complex needs in our communities, including people with disabilities with the most extensive experiences of homelessness. We know the solution — supportive housing— and have seen it work across the country. However, ending chronic homelessness takes political will, leadership, collaboration, and coordination among multiple state and local programs to align resources for housing and supportive services. To help you do this challenging work, we’ve compiled 10 strategies you can use to drive progress in your community. We expect to add additional tools and resources to this document in the future.

  1. Start at the Top: Get State and Local Leaders to Publicly Commit to and Coordinate Efforts on Ending Chronic Homelessness
  2. Identify and Be Accountable to All People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness, including People Cycling through Institutional Settings
  3. Ramp up Outreach, In-reach, and Engagement Efforts
  4. Implement a Housing-First System Orientation and Response
  5. Set and Hold Partners Accountable to Ambitious Short-Term Housing Placement Goals
  6. Prioritize People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness in Existing Supportive Housing
  7. Project the Need for Additional Supportive Housing and Reallocate Funding to Take It to the Scale Needed
  8. Engage and Support Public Housing Agencies and Multifamily Affordable Housing Operators to Increase Supportive Housing through Limited Preferences and ProjectBased Vouchers
  9. Leverage Medicaid and Behavioral Health Funding to Pay for Services in Supportive Housing
  10. Help People Increase Their Income through Employment Opportunities and Connections to Mainstream Benefits and Income Supports

Read the full article about ending chronic homelessness among people with disabilities at The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.