How Much Would It Cost to Provide Housing First to All Households Staying in Homeless Shelters?

Housing First is a proven evidence-based approach to addressing homelessness. However, programs operating under the Housing First model do not receive the necessary funding to meet the needs of all people experiencing homelessness. In this study, we ask: What would it cost to provide a Housing First placement to every household staying in a homeless shelter throughout the United States? We conservatively estimate that an additional $9.6 billion would be needed to achieve this goal: providing Rapid Re-Housing or Permanent Supportive Housing to everyone in a homeless shelter unable to access housing in a single year.

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Culhane, D., Fowle, M., & Moses, J. (2025). National Alliance to End Homelessness. How Much Would It Cost to Provide Housing First to All Households Staying in Homeless Shelters? https://endhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3.11.25_Cost-to-Provide-Housing-First-to-All-Households-Staying-in-Shelters.pdf