Using Data to Address Homelessness: Insights from a National Study on Permanent Supportive Housing

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), which combines deeply affordable housing assistance with behavioral and social health supports, can be an effective way to reduce homelessness. However, according to a national study conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL), some people wait months to move into units, often because providers lack the real-time data needed to track PSH vacancies and quickly move people into those units.

Carin Clary, GPL’s Director of Homelessness and Housing, and Lars Benson, GPL’s Assistant Director for Homelessness and Housing, will share the report’s findings and discuss steps that can be taken to move people into homes faster, including promising strategies being used in Chicago and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.