Expanding Affordable Housing to Address Homelessness: Lessons from NYC and LA’s Master Leasing Programs

As homelessness rises nationwide, leaders are seeking ways to expand permanent, deeply affordable housing—both through new development and immediate solutions using existing housing stock. One approach, master leasing, allows local governments or housing providers to use homeless response funds to lease private market units and sublease them at subsidized rates. Efforts in Los Angeles and New York City to leverage master leasing and property acquisitions show promise in quickly creating more affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness.

On March 11 from 1-2 pm EST, Harvard’s Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, Joint Center for Housing and Homelessness, and Initiative on Health and Homelessness will host a virtual panel on master leasing models. Experts from Los Angeles and New York City will share insights, including Kris Freed and Thomas Wong from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and Meghan Smith from the NYC Department of Homeless Services and Patricia Dawson from the NYC Human Resources Administration.

Co-sponsored by the Initiative on Health and Homelessness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Joint Center for Housing Studies, the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab based at the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, and the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative.