By Senior Director of Programs and Operations Jeannine Short
Ensuing from HUD’s overarching objective to eradicate homelessness is the goal of permanently housing those most vulnerable to becoming homeless. This often means housing (or attempting to house) persons with significant mental health and/or substance abuse issues. While the effort is certainly noble, it seems that the issues that plague this population have become the “elephant in the room”.
Despite the best efforts of HUD-funded agencies to meet HUD’s expectations, the reality is that there will be failures that can negatively impact funding.
The mandate to serve only the most vulnerable population (which implies significant if not insurmountable challenges), and HUD’s expectation to consistently meet or exceed outcomes is in every way a catch 22.
Does an agency perhaps “cream” in an effort to meet these expectations? Or, does an agency truly embrace the “most vulnerable” objective and risk the loss of funding?
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