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Florida Study: Supportive Housing One-Third the Cost of Homelessness
Jun.02.2014
A new study on the cost-effectiveness of supportive housing received significant press coverage last month.
A report from Rethink Homelessness found that providing a homeless person with supportive housing costs taxpayers three times less than leaving a homeless person on the streets. “The Cost of Long-Term Homelessness in Central Florida” echoes the existing research, which has shown that supportive housing both provides formerly homeless individuals with safe, stable homes and saves taxpayer dollars.
The report led to stories on the cost-effectiveness of supportive housing in Vox, Think Progress, PolicyMic, the Orlando Sentinel and other media outlets.
The study looked at a group of 107 chronically homeless individuals in Florida. The researchers found that each person while homeless cost $31,065 per year in inpatient hospitalizations, emergency room fees, incarceration and other systems associated with homelessness. By comparison, the report finds that supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals in Central Florida costs just $10,051 per person per year – a 68% reduction in community costs.
Network Conference Less Than One Week Away
May.30.2014
Speakers at the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference (left to right): NYS Deputy Secretary for Health Courtney Burke, NYS Executive Deputy Director of State Operations Fran Reiter, NYS Deputy Secretary for Human Services and Information Technology Louisa Chafee, NYC Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen, NYC Council Member Stephen Levin and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Vicki Been.
The largest supportive housing conference ever arrives next week!
If you haven't already, we hope you register today for the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference. Join more than 1,400 of your colleagues and friends on Thursday, June 5 for a full day of panels, workshops, guest speakers and much more. Online registration for the event closes Monday, June 2. Highlights include:
Morning Plenary Panel!
The conference features a very special morning plenary panel, with a rare public appearance from three important representatives from the Governor's Office. Joining us will be Executive Deputy Director of State Operations Fran Reiter, Deputy Secretary for Health Courtney Burke and Deputy Secretary for Human Services and Information Technology Louisa Chafee. These three influential State leaders will conduct a wide-ranging discussion on issues related to supportive housing, homelessness, healthcare and other challenges facing our community. We hope you’ll join us for this unique opportunity to hear from three of Governor Cuomo’s top advisors.
Just Added!
We are excited to announce that Alicia Glen, New York City's new Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, will address the morning session on behalf of Mayor Bill de Blasio. Also joining us will be two New York City Council members: Stephen Levin, Chair of the General Welfare Committee, and Jumaane D. Williams, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. Vicki Been, the newly-appointed Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), will now also be on hand to discuss Mayor de Blasio's plan to develop or preserve 200,000 new units of affordable housing over the next 10 years.
Advocacy Alert: Join NYC Supportive Housing Rally this Thursday
May.27.2014
The Network will join a diverse group of advocates this Thursday for a rally in support of a new supportive housing agreement between New York City and State.
Our staff will stand alongside others for the formal launch of Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing, a new initiative to advocate for a successor to the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement. We urge you to join this event. The rally will take place on Thursday, May 29 at 11:00am on the steps outside New York City Hall.
Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing is calling on Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio to negotiate a new City-State agreement to create 30,000 units of supportive housing for individuals and families with special needs over the next 10 years. To date, more than 130 organizations have signed on to the campaign’s platform. You can endorse the campaign by following this link.
A new agreement would follow up three successful agreements before it: NY/NY I in 1990, NY/NY II in 1999 and NY/NY III in 2005. With NY/NY III on track to complete all 9,000 units of supportive housing in just over 10 years, it’s imperative that the City and State create a new agreement to fund supportive housing. A new agreement would also serve as an essential tool in ending New York City’s current record levels of homelessness. Supportive housing has continually proven to be the most humane and cost-effective solution to ending homelessness for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.
NYC Budget Includes Significant Supportive Housing Increase
May.12.2014
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio released his first executive budget on Thursday. The total budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year is $73.9 billion dollars, providing significant funding to support many of the progressive plans the administration has laid out in its first few months. Notably, the budget includes $2.5 billion in capital funds over four years for the mayor’s new “Housing New York” plan to create and preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing over ten years. In his budget address, Mayor de Blasio specifically cited supportive housing as one of the tools that the City will use to reduce homelessness. Other highlights from the budget include: rental assistance for homeless families, capping HASA clients’ rent costs to no more than 30% of income and an increase in shelter beds for runaway and homeless youth.
“This executive budget proves that Mayor de Blasio is serious about solving New York City’s housing affordability crisis,” said Network Executive Director Ted Houghton. “The Mayor’s ambitious housing plan now has dollars attached to it. Placing $2.5 billion into the capital housing budget over the next four years will put us in a strong position to reach the mayor’s ten-year, 200,000-unit goal. I am particularly pleased by the budget’s plan to increase City capital funds for supportive housing development to over $100 million a year. This will fund the construction of thousands of units of permanent supportive housing for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, including homeless individuals, families and seniors.”
More specifically, Mayor de Blasio’s budget includes the following:
Nation’s Largest Supportive Housing Conference Arrives June 5
May.09.2014
Attendees of the 2013 New York State Supportive Housing Conference (left to right): Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick, NYS Senator Cecillia Tkaczyk and NYC Council Member Annabel Palma.
Hundreds of you have already registered for the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference, our signature annual event here at the Supportive Housing Network of New York. In a little over four weeks, more than 1,200 of our friends and colleagues will gather at the New York Marriott Marquis for a full day of workshops, special guests, networking opportunities and much more. We’ll be offering two dozen workshops this year on a wealth of issues that impact the New York supportive housing community.
We’ll be announcing our full lineup of workshops and presenters in the weeks ahead. For now, we’d like to share with you some highlights you can expect on June 5. This year’s conference will feature:
New York State Leaders
Courtney Burke: Deputy Secretary for Health
Louisa Chafee: Deputy Secretary for Human Services and Information Technology
Jason Helgerson: Medicaid Director
Kristin Proud: Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) Commissioner
Fran Reiter: NYS Executive Deputy Director of State Operations
Darryl Towns: Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) Commissioner