Permanent Housing
Permanent Housing strategies lift people out of homelessness by providing rental subsidies in combination with varied levels of supportive services.
The Los Angeles County Departments of Health Services (DHS), Mental Health (DMH), Public Health (DPH), Children and Family Services (DCFS), and Public Social Services (DPSS), along with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and the Los Angeles Homeless Community Development Corporation (LACDA) provide permanent housing to people transitioning out of homelessness.
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is a type of permanent housing that provides long-term rental subsidies and Intensive Case Management Services (ICMS) to individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness and live with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, and/or behavioral health conditions. These may include licensed board and care placements, adult residential facilities, or residential care facilities for older adults.
RENTAL SUBSIDIES
The majority of people experiencing homelessness need a lower level of care than what is provided through PSH.
Time-Limited Subsidy (TLS) programs provide time-limited rental subsidies to quickly house people who have recently become homeless and offer them services until they can gradually take on the rent themselves.
Shallow Subsidy programs provide a long-term rental subsidy to help people avoid homelessness or reentry into homelessness. This is a lower level of assistance, often based on a set monthly amount, unlike traditional “deep subsidies” such as those provided through Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) or the federally-funded Housing Choice Vouchers, also called Section 8 Vouchers.
The Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool combines rent subsidies, landlord engagement, pinpointed tenant/landlord matching, and ongoing tenant services and intensive case management. The program works with a variety of housing providers to secure units in nonprofit-owned supportive housing, traditional affordable housing, and privately-owned market rate housing.
LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT
The Homeless Incentive Program provides incentives to landlords who rent out their units to people experiencing homelessness. The funds can be used to hold units, pay the security deposit, create a damage mitigation fund, and purchase furnishings.
With LeaseUp, property owners and managers have access to a free online portal where they can share their vacancy listings with service providers and case managers, who can then match the unit with a rent-stable client in need of housing.
HOUSING INNOVATION
To spur the creation of more housing, the Homeless Initiative’s Housing Innovation Challenge awarded millions in funding for creative and scalable permanent housing solutions. The winning designs have included prefab modular kits, converted shipping containers, and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).