Editors' Note: This story ran in our January newsletter, published Jan. 8.

Story revised 1/14/21 to reflect changes to scope.

A series on the evidence-based permanent supportive housing practice kicks off 12-1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, with a webinar presenting barriers and solutions to housing the aging homeless population.

Permanent supportive housing offers safe and stable housing environments with voluntary and flexible supports and services to help people manage serious, chronic issues such as mental and substance use disorders, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA.

Our first webinar will feature Dennis Culhane, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania. His presentation is entitled The Dynamics of Homelessness and U.S. Policy Responses.

Attendees will learn:

• Homelessness is characterized by two primary dynamics: crisis homelessness and chronic homelessness;
• Crisis homelessness can be effectively addressed by providing emergency cash, case management and relocation assistance, with rent supports;
• Permanent supportive housing can successfully address chronic homelessness and is cost-neutral for many populations, research shows;
• Three federal programs – the Chronic Homelessness Initiative, the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP), and the campaign to end veteran homelessness – established new and more robust policies to support these research-informed approaches;
• Homelessness assistance programs do not prevent homelessness, and rising rates of unsheltered homelessness and the aging of the adult homeless population are creating new challenges for policymakers to address.

Additional webinars are on the way. To keep up-to-date, bookmark this page.