New Report: HUD Homelessness Prevention Programs Insufficient

Press Type: Press Release   Associated Program: Housing

Released: 01/2011

WASHINGTON, D.C.- A new report released today by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty indicates that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) falls far short of the rising need.

Recent studies have indicated a significant rise in homelessness across the country. One report showed a 20 percent increase in foreclosures and a four percent increase in the number of families experiencing homelessness in the United States from 2008 to 2009. Another report indicated an even greater climb in family homelessness - showing increases of an average of nine percent in cities across the country.

To respond to this growing need, HUD created the HPRP program with $1.5 billion in funding as a part of the 2009 economic stimulus package. However, despite some successes, the need for these funds remains great. In one of the more dramatic examples, Detroit distributed an estimated 50,000 applications to homeless or near-homeless people for its 3,500 HPRP grants on the very first day the funds were available. And other major cities such as Wilmington, DE (87%) and Tallahassee, FL (84%) have already used most of their available funds. At current spend-down rates these cities will run out of money well before HPRP ends in 2012.

The National Law Center's report, On the Edge: How HUD Can Improve the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, offers an in-depth analysis of the program, assessing its effectiveness and making recommendations for future HUD homelessness prevention efforts. It is based on a survey of 121 service providers one year after HPRP funds were made available.

The Law Center's policy director, Jeremy Rosen was the primary writer and researcher on the report. He said, "What we've found is that if people can make it through the program's bureaucracy, HPRP can be a very successful way to prevent or rapidly end homelessness. But without a major increase in funding, and some adjustments to how these programs are administered, we'll barely be making in a dent in the problem."

In addition to additional funding, the report calls for additional outreach to individuals and families in need of HPRP assistance, clarified standards to help local communities better administer the program and work to ensure that HPRP monies are distributed more quickly.

Maria Foscarinis, the Law Center's executive director, said, "HUD's homelessness prevention programs are an essential part of our nation's response to this growing human rights crisis. During this crucial time, we urge Congress to fully fund these programs and we urge HUD to work to make them as efficient and effective as possible."

The Law Center will host a free webinar on the report on February 9 at 2 p.m. EST. To register, click here.

The full report and survey are available here.

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