Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, and Los Angeles selected to join the GPL’s inaugural Homelessness Prevention & Rehousing Accelerator; jurisdictions will test innovative local solutions to nationwide challenges in homelessness response

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) today announced four jurisdictions will participate in the inaugural Homelessness Prevention & Rehousing Accelerator. The new initiative is designed to help state and local jurisdictions test early interventions to prevent individuals from becoming homeless and make the rehousing process more effective, efficient, and equitable for those who are currently homeless.

Through the Accelerator, the GPL will provide applied research support and technical assistance to Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The jurisdictions will test approaches on the following initiatives:

• Streamlining the permanent supportive housing process in Chicago to address the length of time individuals are homeless, improve the client experience, and increase program financial sustainability.

• Connecting individuals in Colorado state prisons to housing services pre-release to reduce the likelihood of future homelessness.

• Establishing a comprehensive, coordinated, and strategic upstream homelessness prevention system in Detroit to connect unstably housed individuals to appropriate supports, including legal defense for eviction cases.

• Researching recent increases in Latinx homelessness in Los Angeles and designing and testing service models to more equitably connect those in need to housing .

More than 100 jurisdictions from across the country applied to the Accelerator. With affordable housing in critically short supply and evictions resurging as pandemic protections sunset, applicants expressed a common sense of urgency and sought support to more effectively make investments, facilitate new local coordination, and leverage policy changes that emerged from the COVID-19 response.

“Jurisdictions know that to sustainably reduce homelessness, they need both a comprehensive prevention strategy to curb inflow and bold approaches to reimagine the rehousing process,” said Carin Clary, GPL Director of Homelessness & Housing. “Cities and states of all sizes are asking how to better coordinate housing assistance within the community and how to make the subsidized housing process faster, smoother, and more effective for both households and housing partners. Throughout the application process, leaders said they needed help to design, test, and scale innovations. Through the Homelessness Prevention & Rehousing Accelerator, the GPL will support these jurisdictions to advance this urgent work.”

Participating jurisdictions will receive 12 months of pro bono applied research support and intensive technical assistance from the GPL. This includes direct support for agency staff, exposure to relevant models and research from other jurisdictions, and help testing the application of GPL core public management tools related to data-driven performance management, procurement design, service arrays, and referral pathways.

The GPL selected jurisdictions using criteria including potential for direct impact, particularly for BIPOC communities; vision for innovative solutions; commitment of jurisdiction staff and leadership; and potential for valuable generalizable learnings to emerge from the project. The GPL will leverage insights from these projects to contribute to the field’s understanding of effective interventions to prevent and reduce homelessness.
 

Statements of Support

Chicago
“Support from the GPL’s Homelessness Prevention & Rehousing Accelerator will help the Chicago Continuum of Care (CoC) increase its ability to house people experiencing homelessness faster. All Chicago, along with essential city partners including the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, the Chicago Department of Housing, and the Chicago Department of Public Health, will build upon our existing partnerships to improve the rehousing process, such as reducing barriers related to complicated documentation and eligibility requirements.” 
—Carolyn K. Ross, President & CEO, All Chicago Making Homelessness History

Colorado
“Colorado is excited to join the first cohort of the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab’s Homelessness Prevention & Rehousing Accelerator to find innovative, data-driven solutions that will help prevent homelessness and reduce recidivism. I’m committed to making Colorado one of the ten safest states in the country, and this collaboration can help us achieve that goal.” 
—Jared Polis, Governor of the State of Colorado

"The Colorado Department of Local Affairs' work with the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab is an exciting opportunity to enhance our capacity to deliver effective and efficient public services to Coloradans across the state. By leveraging the GPL’s expertise in data analytics and performance management, DOLA can better understand and aim to address the complex challenges facing our communities." 
—Rick M. Garcia, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) 

“When a person leaves incarceration and re-enters the community, having stable housing is critical to their success. We know that in this challenging housing market the risk that a formerly incarcerated individual will end up homeless is high, which increases their chances of returning to prison and also makes our communities less safe. At the Colorado Department of Corrections, we are focused on ensuring our re-entry programs are comprehensive and effective so that inmates leave our custody with the best possible chance to improve their lives and be productive citizens. We greatly value the expertise provided by the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, which will help us continue to improve our pre-release support programs using the best available evidence-based practices.” 
—Moses ‘Andre’ Stancil, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC)

“The Colorado Department of Human Services has long been committed to preventing homelessness and has a bold vision that none of our human service clients become newly homeless. The expertise of the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab will greatly assist our statewide efforts to enhance housing stability for individuals exiting prison. It’s vital that these individuals return to opportunities rather than to housing challenges.” 
—Michelle Barnes, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Human Services

Detroit
"The City of Detroit is excited to join the Homelessness Prevention & Rehousing Accelerator to support our residents experiencing housing instability. Last year, 2,570 Detroit households entered the city's emergency shelter system. With limited resources in the homelessness response system, it is critical that we design effective upstream interventions that prevent households from becoming homeless and in turn allow us to focus our homelessness services on households with the highest needs." 
—Julie Schneider, Director, Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department

“The Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department's Housing Services Office aims to ensure that housing emergencies do not result in homelessness. We connect residents to housing navigation and assistance supports prior and up to a displacement. Participating in the Homelessness Prevention & Rehousing Accelerator will help the Division further develop policies, practices, and program models that expand our ability to implement proactive and restorative housing stabilization measures.”
—David Bowser, Associate Director, Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department

Los Angeles
“We are excited to work with the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab’s Homelessness Prevention & Rehousing Accelerator. Latino homelessness rose nearly 26% based on our 2022 point-in-time count. Gaining a better understanding of the reasons behind this increase and the specific barriers that Latinos face will allow us to create a more equitable system and bring us closer to solving homelessness in Los Angeles.” 

—Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, CEO, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

 

About the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL), based in the School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government, supports state and local governments across the country in designing and implementing solutions to pressing social problems. The GPL has conducted over 240 projects in more than 100 jurisdictions, helping innovative state and local government leaders improve the results they achieve for their residents. An important part of the GPL’s research model involves capturing the insights, tools and practices that are gained through these hands-on projects and sharing them with government leaders across the country.

Contacts:
Gabi Remz
gabi_remz@hks.harvard.edu

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Note: This press release was updated on October 24, 2023.