Prevention
Strategies that aim to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless are an important part of the County’s efforts to combat homelessness. These efforts include reducing the number of individuals who are discharged into homelessness from institutions such as jails, hospitals, and foster care, and preventing families and individuals from losing their housing.
Homeless Prevention Program for Families
The Homeless Prevention Program for Families (Strategy A1) provides resources to families at risk of becoming homeless in order to prevent them from losing their housing.
In
fiscal year 2018-2019, this prevention program helped 689 families remain
in their existing permanent housing or move directly into other permanent
housing. With a total of 775 families exiting the prevention program during the
fiscal year, this means that 89 percent of all families that completed the
program were prevented from becoming homeless. This is an increase of 16
percentage points from fiscal year 2017-2018, when 348 families (or 73%)
remained in existing permanent housing or moved directly into other permanent
housing out of 477 that completed the program.
Homeless Prevention Program for Individuals
The Homeless Prevention Program for Individuals (Strategy A5) launched in February of 2018, with enrollments beginning in April 2018. The program provides resources to individuals at risk of becoming homeless in order to prevent them from losing their housing.
In fiscal year 2018-2019, the program helped 813 individuals
remain in their existing permanent housing or move directly into other
permanent housing. This represents 93% percent (813 out of 872 individuals who
completed the program) of all individuals that completed the prevention program
in the data period. This outcome demonstrates significant ramping up of the A5
program in the current fiscal year; in fiscal year 2017-2018, 72 individuals
(89%) remained in their existing permanent housing or moved directly into other
permanent housing out of 81 individuals who completed the program.