Above: Jimmy and Penny, husband and wife HPRP clients.
Transforming Metrics for Success
9
HPRP: A SUCCESS FACTOR
The City of Los Angeles’ Homelessness Prevention and
Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), a three-year initiative
funded through the American Recovery and Reinvest-
ment Act of 2009 (ARRA), has been providing financial
assistance to eligible individuals and families in three
designated service regions covering 468 square miles
since September 2009. The program provides services to
prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless
or rapidly rehouses those who are “literally” homeless.
In the past year, through the Legal Aid Foundation of Los
Angeles’ homelessness prevention efforts that include
legal and case management activities, 1,339 persons
were able to remain permanently housed. Through the
housing relocation and stabilization efforts of four regional
coordinating agencies (People Assisting the Homeless,
Special Service for Groups, Los Angeles Family Housing,
and Home At Last), some 2,877 persons were quickly
rehoused into permanent housing. In all, those served
represent 782 families with 1,484 children, 376 veterans
with a particular emphasis on housing placement for
those veterans receiving HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive
Housing (VASH) vouchers, and 2,632 persons housed
with Section 8 vouchers. However, the truest measure
of the initiative’s success is that it has enabled the city’s
most vulnerable residents to get off the streets, out of
their cars, and into safe, stable permanent housing. In
fact, during the past year, HPRP services to families may
have led to a 6 percent drop in family homelessness in
the City of LA, thereby taking a solid step towards ending
homelessness for this population.
With such favorable outcomes and the program ending
in 2012, LAHSA has joined its local and national partners,
like the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in strong-
ly advocating for federal funds to sustain and extend the
progress made through HPRP.
1
2011
Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Report, August 2011, pg. 19
JIMMY AND PENNY’S STORY
In February 2011, Jimmy and his wife, Penny, came
to Home At Last (HAL), LAHSA’s HPRP satellite office
in South Los Angeles, for intake and assessment.
The couple had experienced several episodes of
homelessness. Jimmy was employed as his wife’s
caretaker through In-Home Support Services and
Penny was receiving income from Social Security.
HAL helped Jimmy and Penny locate housing and
provided them with their security deposit, rental
assistance for nine months, and case management.
They have been stably housed since April 2011, and
the landlord reports that they are great tenants. The
couple is doing well and very satisfied with the services
they received from HAL. Jimmy relayed to HAL staff
that he sent a letter to the federal government to relate
how blessed he felt that there are HPRP funds to assist
individuals and families in situations similar to his. Jimmy
and Penny have made tremendous progress and continue
to thrive in spite of the difficulties they have had.
Households
TOTAL
Persons
2,115
4,216
Households
HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION
Persons
545
1,339
Households
RAPID RE-HOUSING
Persons
1,570
2,877
“
I am very grateful for this program; without this help we would have
continued in dire stress. I like my new apartment; it is in a perfect
location and we have the convenience of stores and everything we
need. We were also able to save a little bit of money to buy a new bed
and a refrigerator. Thank you very much for all of your help, LAHSA.”
–
Jimmy
