The Housing Trust Fund Project Releases Homeless Trust Fund Case Studies
Visit the Housing Trust Fund website to read the first three case studies of Homeless Trust Funds and other Housing Trust Funds supporting programs to end homelessness. The case studies can be found here.
The case studies provide a detailed look at three successful programs to end homelessness using the housing trust fund model:
- The Miami-Dade County, Florida Homeless Trust;
- The Washington Homelessness Housing & Assistance Act; and
- The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Housing Trust Fund.
The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust benefits from a food and beverage sales tax. The Fund coordinates and funds the homeless continuum of care which includes shelter, transitional housing and permanent housing, all with supportive services. With housing and work specialists employed at the Homeless Assistance Centers, there is a 62.4% success rate in placing homeless in housing and 33% of those go on to live in unsubsidized market rate housing.
Washington State is unique in increasing and dedicating the document recording fee to counties throughout the state to implement their ten-year plans to end homelessness. This report focuses on the success in King County and highlights their three key strategies: prevent homelessness, move people quickly to housing with supportive services, and build the public and political will to end homelessness.
Philadelphia’s Housing Trust Fund is successful in many regards, including its investment in ending homelessness. Trust Fund resources have been used to prevent 8,828 individuals from experiencing homelessness, saving the City approximately $5 million in emergency housing costs. The programs help retain housing, provide rental assistance, create pathways to housing, and other assistance.