A Homeless Admissions Preference Is Key to Ending Homelessness

Find the Percent of New Homeless Household Admissions into
Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Programs for the
California Public Housing Agency(ies) in Your Area?

As a promising practice, a homeless admission preference has the potential to end homelessness for many households as evidenced by the high percentages (50%+) of new admissions into Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for several California Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) listed in the table.  

This brief describes some of the progress made to date since HUD provided “strategies that PHAs can pursue to expand housing opportunities for individuals and families experiencing homelessness through the Public Housing and HCV programs” in 2013.  

During the same year, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness provided “guidance to PHAs on how to collaborate and align resources to best prevent and end homelessness” and “how partnering with a variety of organizations can make a substantial impact on ending homelessness.” 

Recommendations in these publications focus on increasing the percentage of homeless persons who obtain public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers whenever possible. They also focus on encouraging Public Housing Agencies to establish written homeless preference policies. 

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