Permanent Supportive Housing Works for the Chronically Homeless, Study Says

A groundbreaking study provides some of the strongest evidence yet of the powerful results of permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless.

2 minute read

September 21, 2020, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


California Homeless

Philip Pilosian / Shutterstock

Marisa Kendall shares news on a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) that reveals big successes for Project Welcome Home in housing chronically homeless residents of Santa Clara County.

"The first-of-its-kind study found 86% of participants received housing and then stayed housed throughout nearly the entire duration of the study," reports Kendall.

The UCSF research team says that these findings are groundbreaking "because they show that permanent supportive housing — which provides subsidized housing paired with counseling, mental health, addiction and other services — is helping the county’s most difficult cases," according to Kendall. 

Project Welcome Home is a $19 million project that used a lottery system between 2015 and 2019 to provide housing for the chronically homeless. The participants in the program were offered counseling, addiction treatment, and other help from the nonprofit Abode Services.

The results of the study do come with the caveat that supportive housing, while effective in this program, is not a silver bullet. "Seventy of the 443 participants died during the course of the study, including 19% of those who received housing," according to Kendall, who also lists other caveats.

The source article includes a lot more details on Project Welcome Home, the study's methodologies and findings, and the implications of the study for homeless policies in the Bay Area and state of California.

Thursday, September 17, 2020 in The Mercury News

Black and white Rideshare Pick-Up Zone sign

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing

From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

June 1, 2023 - Human Transit

Urban sidewalk shaded by large mature trees

Cool Walkability Planning

Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

June 1, 2023 - Todd Litman

Traffic on the 405 interstate freeway through the Sepulveda Pass at Getty Center Drive in Los Angeles, California

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.

The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

May 30, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Wildfire threatening hillside homes in Yucaipa, California

Home Insurers Are Fleeing California

Homeowners in the state are finding it increasingly difficult to secure insurance policies thanks to the growing risks of wildfire, drought, and other climate threats.

June 7 - Curbed

Aerial view of terminus of Los Angeles River and port infrastructure in Long Beach, California

Los Angeles County Initiates Effort to Advance Equity in Infrastructure

L.A. County Public Works has launched an initiative to center equity in all of its processes, programming, and services as it plans, designs, builds, and maintains modern infrastructure that uplifts all communities of the county.

June 7 - Los Angeles County Public Works

Aerial view of pickleball court with players illuminated for nighttime play

Addressing the Noise Impacts of Pickleball

Pickleball may be America's fastest growing sport, but it is not universally loved because of the noise it causes. Learn one expert's ideas for mitigating the noise impacts.

June 7 - The Hustle

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.