Access to affordable housing increases stability for vulnerable households and helps avert homelessness.

“The solution to homelessness is straightforward: housing. By connecting people experiencing homelessness to housing and services, they have a platform from which they can address other areas that may have contributed to their homelessness — such as employment, health, and substance abuse.” – Quoted from National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2023

• When housing costs are more affordable and housing opportunities are more readily available, there is a lower likelihood of households becoming homeless, and households who do become homeless can exit homelessness more quickly and with greater likelihood of sustaining that housing long-term (US Interagency Council of Homelessness).
• Vouchers effectively fill in the gap between the cost of rent and utilities and how much a household can afford to pay, ensuring that those with very low incomes can afford housing (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2022).
• A record-high 653,104 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2023. This is more than a 12.1 percent increase over the previous year (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2023).
  • 34,703 unaccompanied youth were counted as homeless. Of those, 90.6 percent were between the ages of 18 to 24. The remaining 9.3 percent (or 3,240 unaccompanied children) were under the age of 18. 40.8 percent of homeless youth are unsheltered — sleeping outside, in a car, or some place not meant for human habitation (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2023).
  • More than 1 in 5 people experiencing homelessness were age 55 or older (HUD, 2023).
• “The number of people entering and exiting homelessness is driven, in large part, by the ability of people to access and maintain housing in the private rental market. Yet, worsening conditions in the private rental market are not within the control of the homelessness response system. Without enough affordable housing, people are stuck in emergency shelters or sleeping on the street with no place to go.” -Quoted from Urban Institute, 2023
• Housing subsidies significantly reduced homelessness and family instability at both 20 and 37 months, while transitional housing had modest effects, and rapid re-housing helped families exit shelters more quickly but did not improve long-term housing outcomes. Subsidies also reduced adult psychological distress, substance abuse, and children’s behavioral problems at different time points (National Institute of Health, 2018).
  • Subsidies decreased intimate partner violence by over half at 20 months and by over one-third at 37 months, while other interventions showed no significant impact on health or housing outcomes (National Institute of Health, 2018).
• Several studies have found that Housing First approaches offer greater long-term housing stability, especially among people experiencing chronic homelessness. Some studies have found that Housing First programs may reduce costs by shortening stays in hospitals, residential substance abuse programs, nursing homes, and prisons (Urban Institute, 2024).
• Research suggests that Housing First programs successfully house people with intersecting vulnerabilities, such as veterans and people with a history of substance abuse and chronic medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2023).
• The mortality rate for people experiencing homelessness is 3.5 times higher than the rate for housed individuals (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2024).