End Homelessness

National Housing Framework

Navigation: Make Emergency Housing Vouchers Permanent | Provide Necessary Service Fees to Help People Find and Keep Housing | Fund Robust Supportive Services | Prevent Homelessness When Possible | Creative Approaches to Transitional Housing | Soft Costs Are Critical

Updated July 10, 2025

According to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, the unhoused population in the United States increased by 48% between 2015 to 2023 with the addition of 83,300 people. According to the 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, the number of individuals experiencing homelessness increased in 43 states and the District of Columbia between 2022 and 2023 with people of color disproportionately affected. The growing crisis of individuals lacking adequate shelter occurs in every community. Roughly 653,100 people experienced homelessness on a single night in 2023 compared to 582,462 people in 2022. This is a 12% increase and the largest count of homeless individuals since reporting began in 2007. Families with children experiencing homelessness also rose by 17% compared to 2022 – an increase of 24,966 people.

Make Emergency Housing Vouchers Permanent

PHAs have a critical tool to address this rise in homelessness– Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV). Created by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), EHVs assist people who are homeless; at-risk of homelessness; fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking; or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability.

They also enable PHAs to provide needed services and short-term financial assistance to the people using these vouchers. This included providing a service fee of $3,500 per voucher to help boost utilization.

Emergency Housing Vouchers are utilized at a much higher rate than comparable special-purpose vouchers targeted at certain populations making them one of the most successful types of vouchers, mostly likely due to the service fee attached to the voucher. Despite the unmitigated success of these vouchers, PHAs may not reissue EHVs currently in use to additional families. Instead, EHVs sunset when the family currently using them moves off assistance.

Recommendation: Make the EHV program permanent with continued renewal funding.

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Provide Necessary Service Fees to Help People Find and Keep Housing

Although additional vouchers are critical tools for many families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, many individuals that have been unhoused for longer periods also require additional services to help them remain housed once they are provided shelter. The EHV program was an unmitigated success because in addition to the HAP funding for the voucher, the PHAs that administered these vouchers received certain other fees, including a service fee of $3,500 per voucher to help boost utilization.

These service fees not only helped residents find units but could also help fund robust supportive services including mental health care, to help stabilize families so they can successfully find housing and remain in their homes. Housing can act as the foundation for harder to house individuals to access the services they need to remain housed. Systems and funding must be in place to provide for access to the resources to ensure that the number of individuals that are unhoused on a given night in the United States declines.

Recommendation: Provide service fees to PHAs to help connect harder to house individuals with necessary services so that they may remain housed.

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Fund Robust Supportive Services

General-purpose vouchers are the most effective tool for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to house all individuals, including those currently served by special-purpose vouchers, such as the homeless. Establishing a general supportive services fund would streamline federal rental assistance programs by consolidating voucher types into a single, flexible program with targeted services. This fund would assist specific populations, like non-elderly disabled individuals, veterans, and families needing extra help, and address community needs such as support for those impacted by the criminal justice system or mental health issues.

Recommendation: Fund robust supportive services to help unhoused individuals and families remain housed.

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Prevent Homelessness When Possible

Homelessness prevention is crucial. Providing resources to help people stay in their homes can significantly reduce the risk of homelessness. Programs like the Emergency Rental Assistance Program have demonstrated that offering financial support to families before eviction for nonpayment of rent can have a substantial impact on keeping people housed.

Recommendation: Create a permanent Emergency Housing Rental Assistance Program, run through HUD via PHAs, to help families at-risk of homelessness maintain their home.

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Creative Approaches to Transitional Housing

Transitional housing, a temporary accommodation that includes supports, is a crucial step in the housing continuum for individuals experiencing homelessness. It serves as a bridge to permanent supportive housing, affordable housing, market-rate rentals, or homeownership. While not a permanent solution, transitional housing provides stability, helping families remain housed or find temporary shelter before transitioning to more permanent options.

Legislation that increases transitional housing and supports innovative funding and development methods is vital. For example, creating a national Project Turnkey Program, similar to California’s successful model, could repurpose vacant hotels and motels to provide housing and enhance shelter capacity.

Recommendation: HUD and Congress should empower localities to be creative in finding additional transition housing to meet the existing demand. This includes the creation of a national Project Turnkey Program (H.R. 8297).

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Soft Costs Are Critical

Soft costs, such as building data-sharing infrastructure, are essential for addressing homelessness effectively. Sharing data between agencies at the local level enables better coordination and partnerships, helping Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and other organizations connect people with housing more efficiently. Funding these soft costs is necessary to support these collaborative efforts.

Recommendation: HUD and Congress should continue funding grants for activities that improve coordination and establish partnerships between or among housing providers, healthcare organization, and government entities to address housing-related supportive services needs or improve access to health services for chronically homeless individuals and other homeless individuals.

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