E151U: Housing & Urban Development Homelessness

Images of the Homeless When you hear the word homeless, what do you visualize?

Counting the Homeless Point Prevalence: counts of people homeless at a given time, a particular day for example Period Prevalence: counts of homeless over a period of time

Decennial Census Street and Shelter Count (1990): counted homeless in shelters and predetermined outside sites Shelter Enumeration (2000): counted homeless in shelters—more effort to identify places where homeless sleep --multiplicity factor

Homelessness in Orange County Total number homeless: 18,603 (Orange County Consolidated Plan, )

Characteristics of the Homeless Population Economic Homeless: inability to pay rent Situational Homeless: personal circumstances e.g., domestic abuse Chronic Homeless: ongoing problems such as mental illness, drug abuse, etc.

Structural Causes of Homelessness Increase in housing costs Increase in the number of female- headed households with children Deinstitutionalization Diminishing federal safety net Decrease in the real value of the minimum wage

Stages of Homelessness At risk of being homeless e.g, doubling up with family or friends Homeless: without permanent shelter --emergency shelter --transitional shelter Rehoused

Federal Policy Definition of Homeless

An individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and (2) an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is: (a) a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill); (b) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. (Source: US HUD)

Stewart B. McKinney Act (1987) Emergency shelter grants program: the rehabilitation of buildings to be used as emergency shelters Supportive Housing Demonstration Program: transitional housing with supportive services Supported Housing Demonstration Program: permanent housing for disabled homeless Section 8 Assistance for Single Room Occupancy Dwellings (SROs) Supplemental Assistance for Facilities to Assist the Homeless

Amendments to the Act 1988: minor 1990: through National Affordable Housing Act: Shelter Plus Care 1992: expansion of Title IV “safe havens” 1994: changes to the Education of the Homeless Children and Youth Program and the Surplus Property Program

Federal Philosophy Continuum of Care

Status of McKinney Act Positive Evaluations Under-funded initiatives