August 16, 2023, Washington, D.C. – The National Alliance to End Homelessness awarded grants today to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) School of Public Health and the University of Southern California. Grants are valued at amounts up to $200,000.
“Evidence-based research is critical for advancing innovative models to address homelessness,” said Joy Moses, Vice President of Research and Evidence at the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “The Alliance is proud to support these two exciting projects that address some of the most urgent challenges in the work to end homelessness, including the crises of unsheltered homelessness, chronic homelessness, and homelessness among older adults.”
Researchers Jack Tsai, PhD, at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and Rebecca Kinney, PhD, of the Veterans Education & Research Association of Northern New England, were funded to evaluate the Safe Haven Model adopted by some providers and funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Grant and Per Diem program. The Safe Haven model is consistent with a Housing First approach, focusing on transitioning people into permanent housing while providing supportive services in a community-based setting. This research will study variations in Safe Haven model implementation to determine which components are important to achieving positive housing outcomes for veterans who experienced unsheltered homelessness prior to entry.
Researchers Jared Schachner, PhD, of the University of Southern California and Gary Painter, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati, were funded to examine effective housing and social service models for the growing population of older adults experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. This research will examine the risk of chronic homelessness faced by older adults and the effect of housing programs on reducing repeated and prolonged periods of homelessness. Importantly, the research will seek to understand how older adults of different racial backgrounds experience – and garner benefits from – housing programs, as well as how race intersects with housing trajectories. It will also examine the impacts of Medicare and Social Security benefits on housing stability among older adults who have previously experienced homelessness.
Both research projects will use mixed methods, combining rigorous quantitative analyses with rich qualitative information from people with lived experience and frontline service provider staff.
The findings resulting from these two projects are expected in 2024. The Alliance will be awarding additional research grants in the near future on strategies to reduce unsheltered homelessness and improve the effectiveness of permanent supportive housing.
About the National Alliance to End Homelessness
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. As a leading voice on the issue of homelessness, the Alliance analyzes policy and develops pragmatic, cost-effective solutions; works collaboratively with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build state and local capacity; and provides data and research to policymakers and elected officials in order to inform policy debates and educate the public and opinion leaders nationwide.
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