Homelessness Research, Technical Assistance, and Policy Support
Working to End Homelessness
In recent years, the federal government has focused more clearly on the goal to end homelessness, particularly among chronically homeless persons and families. Communities have responded with more aggressive and ambitious plans to end homelessness, a renewed attention to permanent supportive housing, and an emphasis on coordinating local resources, including increased access to mainstream resources for homeless persons. Local communities have also made strides in learning more about who is homeless and how best to address their needs through the implementation of homeless management information systems.
Abt Associates is a national leader in analyzing and implementing solutions for homeless systems and projects. With experience at local, state, and federal levels, we understand both the national and regional challenges to effective programs for special needs populations. Most importantly, we offer a continuum of services to bridge the gap between research and implementation. To this end, we conduct rigorous analyses of homeless issues, support federal agencies in the development of homeless policy, and provide technical assistance to communities and local homeless assistance programs. Our approach and unparalleled staff assist organizations at all levels of government to devise and implement the best solutions as they move toward eliminating homelessness in their communities.
Examples of Our Work
Technical Assistance and Training for Homeless Programs: we work with HUD to develop technical assistance materials, tools, and training for HUD homeless assistance programs and initiatives, particularly McKinney-Vento programs.
Local Planning and Program Evaluation: at the local level, we work with Continuums of Care and homeless services programs to develop and implement 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness, build effective partnerships within the community, develop performance measures, and use evaluation tools to provide feedback to refine programs.
Supportive Housing Development: Abt Associates provides feasibility analyses, mixed-finance expertise, and development advisory and implementation services to assist housing authorities and non-profit organizations with the development of supportive housing for special needs populations.
National Policy Research and Program Evaluation: we design and implement research studies that help the nation and local communities more effectively address homelessness, including understanding the number and characteristics of homeless persons in the U.S., analyzing the costs of homelessness and housing models, and developing useful performance measures for homeless programs.
