Innovative to End Homelessness
The energy at the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference was palpable, especially during our “Intro to Housing Problem Solving” session! A huge thank you to all the 115 attendees and especially to our incredible speakers – Johnnie Walker from Partners for Peace in Maine, Jimmy Slattery from INTERFAITH WORKS in Maryland, and Ashley Halladay-Schmandt from Michigan Balance of State. Your willingness to travel and share your invaluable experiences with communities aiming to reduce and end homelessness is truly inspiring. And of course, a massive thank you to diiv sternman and the National Alliance to End Homelessness for making these crucial conversations possible.
The conference description for our session perfectly captured the essence of Housing Problem Solving (HPS): it’s a flexible strategy that centers the individual or household, taking their unique strengths and needs into account to design a personalized pathway to housing stability. This approach explores innovative, cost-effective solutions for swiftly resolving housing crises at any stage. It was clear from the passion in the room that communities are eager to embrace problem-solving as a comprehensive, system-wide approach to preventing and ending homelessness.
Our speakers brought this philosophy to life with real-world examples:
Johnnie Walker, from Partners for Peace in Maine, eloquently discussed Housing Problem Solving as an act of advocacy to support people in avoiding and immediately exiting homelessness. She specifically highlighted its use alongside safety planning for individuals fleeing domestic violence situations. Johnnie championed a radical idea: whenever possible, the survivor should get to stay housed, and our resources should be prioritized to keep them safe in their homes.
Jimmy Slattery spoke passionately about diversion and rapid exit programs in Montgomery County, Maryland. He provided a clear roadmap for what a successful team can look like and emphasized how, regardless of funding, this work genuinely changes lives and significantly improves housing outcomes.
Ashley Halladay-Schmandt, representing the Michigan Balance of State, shared exciting results from their Housing Problem Solving pilot project. Despite being only two years into the program, they’ve achieved a 27% success rate with over 90% of people remaining housed after 90 days. Similar to Maine’s experience, Michigan found that even in a tight housing market, they were successfully housing people using affordable, one-time payments.
The passion in the room was truly infectious. It’s clear that communities are driven to tackle the challenges of implementing these initiatives because, at their core, these strategies end homelessness.
Key Questions Addressed
During our session, two main questions emerged from the audience, sparking important discussions:
1. What about people being sent to communities they are not from?
This question, exemplified by a comment from Juneau, Alaska, regarding people being sent there for services, allowed us to be very clear: This is not Housing Problem Solving. While well-intentioned individuals might help someone relocate if that’s their goal, it only qualifies as diversion, rapid exit, or Housing Problem Solving if there is a safe, confirmed host on the other end of that relocation. Without that, it’s simply moving the problem.
2. How do we structure case management and staff time for these programs?
The structure of case management and staff time for effective HPS programs varies greatly. While some communities can offer ongoing case management alongside HPS services, many cannot. In most cases, Diversion and Rapid Exit engagement ends once the person is stably housed, with follow-up support typically offered only if the individual or family reaches out.
How teams structure this engagement can differ. The number of clients assigned to a particular team member might appear larger than a typical caseload (sometimes 60 or more), but that’s often because the majority of those interactions are single-engagement events. Other communities might not even place clients on a specific case manager’s roster, instead focusing solely on that one successful engagement and referring to other teams for ongoing support if the person expresses interest.
Overall, there was immense excitement about engaging communities in developing effective means of practicing Housing Problem Solving. One piece of advice that particularly resonated with the group was when I mentioned that I typically “ban” two questions from people’s introductions during my training: “Where did you sleep last night?” and “Do you have any family or friends that you can stay with?” These two questions overwhelmingly generate negative, defensive replies that start with “NO.” Housing Problem Solving involves rich conversations that explore options and empower clients with support to secure housing—not close-ended questions that can feel like judgment or eligibility requirements.
Do you have more questions about implementing housing problem-solving in your community? I encourage you to reach out! I’d love to touch base if you’re interested in developing housing problem-solving systems or getting training for your staff. Email me anytime!