Dec. 24, 2013

Each year, the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) produces a report that highlights the work of its members and focuses on the ways in which housing authorities are strengthening neighborhoods and improving lives.

CLPHA’s 2013 report, Housing Authorities: Essential Partners in Ending Homelessness was recently released. Housing authorities have always assisted households previously experiencing or at risk of homelessness. By enabling extremely low-income households to afford their homes, housing subsidies serve to prevent and end homelessness.

Increasingly, housing authorities are also bringing their subsidies into partnerships with the homeless services system, leading to more targeted efforts that include permanent supportive housing, sponsor-based vouchers, and dedication of resources to evidence-based practices such as rapid rehousing.

CLPHA members know from experience that when local systems work together, outcomes for families and individuals living in poverty improve. As evidenced by the work on homelessness featured in this publication, housing authorities’ innovation and partnerships are already challenging rigid, compliance-driven programs and systems to be better aligned and integrated while refocusing on “people outcomes.”

Partnerships also enhance the work at CLPHA, and they recognize the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, CSH, LeadingAge, and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans for providing the context for the work of the seventeen housing authorities featured in this publication.