Safe Parking: A Review of National Programs
Safe Parking programs are a relatively new program designed to help people experiencing homeless regain stable housing. They provide secure places for people sheltering in their vehicles to park and sleep overnight, provide basic sanitary services, and typically connect individuals to a range of social services. They combine elements of street outreach where they seek to engage and build a relationship with the unsheltered homeless and emergency shelters where they provide individuals sanctuary from living on the streets. CHI researchers surveyed providers to examine current practices in its implementation.
Street Outreach Can be More Effective Than Shelter at Housing People Experiencing Homelessness
This new CHI paper, published in the Journal of Poverty, recommends increasing the number of street outreach workers to reduce the prevalence of street homelessness. Street outreach, unlike emergency shelters, does not immediately shelter people experiencing homelessness. It, however, is far less expensive and more effective at keeping people off of the streets. Reallocating dollars spent on emergency shelters to expand the number of outreach workers could visibly reduce the number of unsheltered individuals within a community.
Improving Program Outcomes with Performance Analytics
This CHI research published in Cityscape applies the tools of performance management to identify performance deficits within Rapid Re-Housing programs. It demonstrates that performance has been declining precipitously as the housing market has tightened and identifies the likely causes of these problems. Addressing these issues could enable this CoC to house hundreds of additional people each year.
Race and Ethnicity in the Provision of Housing Services
This report analyzes of the incidence of homelessness and the provision of homeless services by race and ethnicity in Sacramento. The main findings are:
Race does plays a significant role in the incidence of homelessness, where Black, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian individuals are more likely to become homeless.
In the provision of services – assessments, assessment scores, and housing or shelter services -- only small differences are found between racial and ethnic groups. No racial or ethnic group is consistently disadvantaged by these discrepancies.
How Much is Sacramento Spending to Combat Homelessness?
Information on homeless programs are scattered across programs and organizations, making it difficult to gain a holistic perspective. The Center for Homeless Inquiries seeks to add some clarity to the landscape by providing information on Sacramento County. The report finds that Sacramento spends more than $130 million on homelessness programs, but even this level of spending is not sufficient to move the community onto a trajectory to eliminate homelessness.