CUCS serves as the lead agency for Home to Stay, a pilot housing and service program for families who have experienced repeated episodes of homelessness.
Because for most homeless families a lack of affordable housing is their primary reason for becoming homeless, subsidized housing is effective in preventing a return to shelters. There are, however, a number of families who return to homelessness even after receiving rental subsidies. Home to Stay will work with 120 of these episodically-homeless families at a time, helping them access permanent housing using short-term rental subsidies provided by New York City, and providing them with one to three years of support services to help ensure their housing stability.
The support services are designed to maximize a family's self-sufficiency, and build their capacity to maintain their housing independently. Services include assistance with the following:
- Locating and securing housing utilizing the Advantage voucher
- Understanding tenant rights and responsibilities
- Accessing and/or maintaining all entitlements for which the family is eligible
- Accessing and/or maintaining all housing subsidies for which the family is eligible
- Budgeting and financial planning
- Finding, maintaining, and/or upgrading employment
- Parenting and household management
- Securing needed mental and physical health services
- Addressing legal problems
- Successfully transitioning off of the program's support services
Home to Stay is conducting a controlled research study to determine whether participating families move out of shelters more quickly and are more effective at remaining stably housed than a similar group of families that do not receive the Home to Stay services.
CUCS has partnered with the Robin Hood Foundation (funder), the New York City Department of Homeless Services, Common Ground Community/Brownsville Partnership, Jericho Project, and Women in Need on this pilot project.
If you are a landlord or broker and would like to learn more about this project please click home_to_stay_landlord_brochure_9-3-10.
