Homelessness & Housing

We work with governments, Continuums of Care, and social service providers to prevent people from becoming homeless, rehouse those who do, and train staff on key skills for homelessness response.

Homelessness response workforce leaders participate in a workshop around a table.

Overview

Nationally, homelessness and housing insecurity are on the rise as jurisdictions of all sizes face a crisis of housing affordability and availability. To ensure more people stay stably housed, jurisdictions need to prevent people from entering homelessness in the first place, better utilize existing affordable housing stock, support the creation of more units, and build a workforce that is equipped to effectively manage this growing crisis.  

Local homeless response agencies and providers cannot achieve these goals alone. They must work closely with a network of local stakeholders, including those outside of direct homeless response, to make progress toward ending homelessness.   

The GPL’s Homelessness & Housing team provides applied research support and technical assistance to help jurisdictions test ways to: 

  • Reduce entries into homelessness by understanding pathways into homelessness, making prevention supports more accessible by leveraging upstream systems, and directing resources to those most in need. 
  • Expedite connections to housing resources for people experiencing homelessness through efficient, effective, and equitable referral processes. 
  • Invest in training and coaching for homeless response system staff to ensure they are equipped to effectively manage programs and improve resident outcomes.  
Headshot of Jacob Storck in a dark collared shirt posing outdoors with green foliage in the background.
Not only has the GPL expanded our capacity to address Permanent Supportive Housing utilization more effectively within our system, but they have also brought very specific skills and expertise like data analysis and communication to the work. Jacob Storck
Senior Program Manager, All Chicago Making Homelessness History

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Focus Areas

Investing in the Homeless Response Workforce

Investing in the Homeless Response Workforce

A group of four people collaborates in a well-lit workspace. A woman holds up a sheet with sticky notes, pointing as she explains. The others listen attentively, with materials like markers and notes on the table.

We work with governments and Continuums of Care to equip homeless response staff with more skills and tools to effectively manage programs and improve resident outcomes.

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Preventing Homelessness

Preventing Homelessness

We work with communities to increase access to resources that help people at risk of homelessness stay stably housed.

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Streamlining the Rehousing Process

Streamlining the Rehousing Process

A person holds out a set of house keys with a small house-shaped keychain, symbolizing homeownership or moving in.

We work with governments and Continuums of Care to expedite connections to housing resources for people experiencing homelessness through efficient, effective, and equitable referral processes.

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Stock image of a city neighborhood.

Our Impact

We work with leaders from housing agencies, Continuums of Care, and social service providers to keep more people stably housed. Through our work, we help agencies connect people at risk of losing their homes to needed resources, make the rehousing process faster and easier to navigate, and coach and train homeless response staff on skills and tools to increase their capacity.

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  • 21 Jurisdictions served
  • 117 Applications for technical assistance received in the first year of the team’s operations
  • 130+ Practitioners trained in applying data skills to address homelessness

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