HMN 2025: How Homelessness Prevention Unit members are 71% much less more likely to enter a shelter

A brand new report from the California Policy Lab at UCLA reveals promising early outcomes from Los Angeles County’s Homelessness Prevention Unit (HPU). The report discovered that folks within the HPU program had been 71% much less more likely to enter a homeless shelter or have contact with avenue outreach groups inside 18 months, in comparison with related high-risk individuals who did not enroll.

The HPU makes use of a first-of-its-kind predictive model, developed by the California Policy Lab, to establish L.A. County residents most prone to homelessness and to attach them with intensive, tailor-made help, together with monetary help. The CPL at UCLA report evaluated outcomes from a pilot part (May 2022–February 2023), earlier than the launch of a proper, randomized {control} trial analysis which is at present underway.

This early evaluation in contrast 335 people who enrolled in HPU to 1,285 others who had been eligible for this system however didn’t enroll. During this era, enrollment in this system was related to improved outcomes associated to housing stability, homelessness and different opposed occasions resembling interactions with county companies.

“This is what good homelessness prevention can appear to be, utilizing predictive modeling and supportive companies to behave early, not after somebody finally ends up homeless, mentioned co-author Janey Rountree, govt director of the California Policy Lab at UCLA. “We’re inspired by HPU’s early outcomes and what they counsel is feasible.”

Unlike many applications, HPU would not look forward to individuals to hunt assist. It proactively reaches out to these at highest danger, usually individuals who aren’t linked to current companies. Case managers carry small caseloads and provide customized help, together with well being care, job companies and assist with necessities like laptops or home equipment. In addition, the members obtain a median monetary help of $6,469 throughout all households. Budgets differ based mostly on family measurement.

Proactively reaching out to high-risk people and successfully getting individuals enrolled has confirmed to be some of the difficult features of this system. During the formal analysis interval, the HPU enrollment fee jumped 67%—from 21% to 35%—after a number of operational enhancements had been carried out, together with a devoted outreach group and a standardized case assessment and discharge course of.

“This model helps us attain individuals earlier than they {experience} a disaster,” mentioned Dana Vanderford, affiliate director of homelessness prevention for the L.A. County Department of Health Services. “It’s a sensible, efficient, and compassionate technique to forestall homelessness.”

The HPU program has served 1,498 individuals to this point, and 86% of members have retained their housing upon completion of this system.

“The early indicators from HPU counsel we’re heading in the right direction. This is a strong model for what focused, data-informed help can obtain in stopping homelessness,” mentioned Max Stevens, chief analytics officer on the L.A. County Chief Information Office.

The HPU program is designed with fairness in thoughts, with consideration to who’s recognized, enrolled and in the end served. In a previous report launched in Fall 2024, the California Policy Lab assessed whether or not the predictive model pretty recognized high-risk people throughout totally different racial, ethnic and gender teams. That evaluation didn’t discover proof of systematic exclusion: most teams had related false damaging charges.

The HPU continues to develop entry to people who find themselves usually disconnected from homelessness prevention companies, together with these with larger charges of legal authorized involvement, critical psychological sickness or substance use. To date, 80% of HPU members are individuals of shade, who face heightened danger of homelessness as a result of long-standing inequities in housing, employment and the legal authorized system.

Randomized {control} trial outcomes are anticipated in 2027. The report is out there at capolicylab.org.

Launched in 2021, the HPU program is a partnership between the California Policy Lab, the L.A. County Department of Health Services, and the L.A. County Chief Information Office.