Denver gave more than 800 people up to $12K to find housing. See what happened a year later

The city of Detroit’s government spearheaded new partnerships at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to provide transit options for people living in city shelters and residents who don’t have cars to access COVID-19 testing. These partnerships among government departments allowed for transporting those experiencing homelessness to designated emergency shelters and hospitals to prevent the spread of the virus among shelter residents. Government officials anticipated as many as 450 shelter residents would contract the virus, but so far, only 154 people have tested positive with no deaths reported.

Riverside is the only city in California to solve veteran homelessness. The approach, called Housing First, works by placing vets into subsidized housing and then proceeding with support services like finding employment or rehabilitating from drugs/alcohol dependence. Now that Riverside has housed all of its 89 homeless vets, it is moving on to apply the same approach to their 400 chronically homeless citizens.

In Minnesota, Hennepin County is using a housing-first approach, working with individuals on their specific needs, and focusing on the most vulnerable populations first to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness in the county.

To limit the spread of COVID-19, the Everyone In initiative offers housing to people experiencing homelessness. In the first few months of the program, the government paid for hotel rooms – which were empty due to the pandemic – for about 15,000 people. Additional services provided include helping people with substance abuse issues, accessing welfare benefits, and finding permanent housing. Some hotel residents expressed a renewed sense of purpose from having stable housing. A new set of workers, like hotel staff, addressing homelessness for the first time also led to innovation.

In Los Angeles, The Bin gives homeless people a chance to store their valuables. “If I didn’t have this bin, I’d have to get rid of most of my stuff. These bins are really great to have.” Across the nation, other cities are unfolding efforts to help the homeless population.

A nonprofit called Breaking Ground has paired up with the Brooklyn Public Library to provide social and administrative services to New York’s homeless population. This unique partnership works collaboratively to build engagement, trust and a housing action plan for homeless people; while the librarians help patrons gather practical housing resources and sift through complex bureaucratic matters, social workers build positive community rapport, and provide more holistic, psychosocial assistance with individual cases.

San Francisco's Care Not Cash program began in 2004 in response to the city's homelessness crisis. One facet of the program is an outreach team, whose members regularly visit homeless people on the street to connect them to resources such as housing and drug rehabilitation.

Austin’s Rapid Rehousing Program offers up to two years of rent assistance for people exiting homelessness alongside other support services that help connect them to the resources they need.

The Rapid Rehousing Program in Austin, Texas, provides people exiting homelessness with rent support for up to two years, tapering the amount down over time. A community group called Vocal-TX is bringing people in the program together to elevate their voices and propose improvements.

The Hilda L. Solis Care First Village provides temporary housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles with the goal of transitioning them into permanent housing. Residents get a private room with a TV and a shower and share other facilities like kitchens and laundry rooms.