Rapid Rehousing

Rapid Rehousing is an emerging national best practice to help families quickly move out of homelessness and into permanent housing. The fundamental practice wisdom of Rapid Rehousing is that when people are stably housed, everything else in their lives stabilizes.

The national research on families in shelter and the success of Rapid Rehousing in other parts of the country led the Alliance with its government partners to develop a demonstration project that is being successfully supported by county, state and federal funding.

What makes Rapid Rehousing different?

Earlier strategies for families were based on a housing readiness model. They assumed that families had to deal with problem issues in their lives, before they could successfully move into an apartment home of their own.

Data from research suggests, however, that 80% of families who become homeless can move rapidly into housing and receive services and supports when they are housed in their own apartments.

The strategies include

• Rental assistance
• Flexible funding for security, utilities etc
• Home-based Case management to help access needed services to move to self-sufficiency
• An organized housing search strategy including landlord mediation

Families with moderate housing barriers. Example of barriers are

• Poor or no rental history
• Eviction history
• History of substance abuse but not currently using

What is present in successful Rapid Rehousing programs?

System response Centralized screening criteria Focus on housing stabilization
Flexible approach for each consumer.

Who is providing Rapid Rehousing Locally?

Mercer’s Rapid Rehousing initiative is called Mercer Housing Now. Homefront is the provider of home-based case management and SBR Realty is the Housing Locator. The project will serve 50 families in 2010. Funding is committed through 2012.

We are confident that the results will mirror successes in other parts of the country and that we will be able to bring the program to scale.

Homes People Can Afford in all our Municipalities

Our Municipal Action Campaign is designed to work with Mercer County municipalities toward providing enough affordable housing opportunities for those who are homeless and at risk of homelessness.

New Jersey’s Affordable Housing law, signed in 2008, mandates that 13% of municipal affordable housing programs should be set aside for those of very low income – those making less than 30% of the median income. In Mercer, this is about $25,000, the income of one in five Mercer residents.

The Alliance has mobilized Municipal ActionTeams to advocate that this housing be reserved for those exiting homelessness.

The Mercer Alliance offers periodic training sessions to help advocates learn the language of affordable housing and to identify priorities for their communities.

We also maintain an Affordable Housing News Service on this website to aid advocates to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in their municipalities.