I am Nan Roman, the President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. We are working to end homelessness in the U.S. Ask me anything.

Why are our veterans more prone to being homeless and how can we change the stigma associated with homelessness?

Veterans are homeless due to a variety of factors including inability to afford housing, low incomes, service-related trauma (including military sexual trauma), and difficulty making the transition to the civilian workforce, among other things. Stigma related to homeless veterans and homelessness overall is a serious problem, and I think a good way to address it is by focusing on and promoting solutions. The good news is that there is a lot of political and public will for ending veteran homelessness, Congress and the Administration are supportive, and the number of homeless veterans is going down.

I'm probably going to be homeless come January . What advice can you give me?

I am so sorry. I don't know what's available in your community, but I'd try calling 211, and asking if there is a homeless assistance organization that focuses on housing solutions.

What are your thoughts on the recent spike in 'Helping the Homeless' 'Feeding the Homeless' 'Homeless Makeover' type videos showing up on YouTube?

and second question. Is it bad to give homeless people money? and if so, could you explain why it's that bad?

You can end homelessness quickly, but giving someone housing is probably more effective than a makeover --although feeling confident about yourself is a good thing, too. Living indoors makes over people in a little more permanent way -- Pathways to Housing' YouTube channel has some great examples.
I think that giving people money on the street is a personal decision.
Note: not all people asking for money on the street are homeless.

What would you say to someone who vilifies the homeless, blaming their condition on their own behavior?

How do you feel about HUD regulations requiring or allowing public housing authorities to prohibit admission to family members who have been convicted of certain crimes? Is there a way to make public housing safe without keeping criminals on the streets?

The nation has 7 million fewer units of affordable housing than we need, and I think that is more persuasively the cause of people becoming homeless than their behavior -- plenty of people with bad behavior are housed.

I do think that it is possible to house people with criminal records, and I don't think it makes communities safer to leave people unsheltered and exclude them from programs.

The Coalition for the Homeless is reporting recidivism (return to shelter) of 38% for those rapidly re-housed in New York City. Does that seem likely you?

Here is what we found looking at the NYC data: http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/the-impact-of-rapid-re-housing-in-new-york-city Most communities we have looked at have a lower rate of return to homelessness from rapid rehousing programs than they do from shelter or transitional housing. It is really important to have good data, to analyze it, and to adopt the practices that have the best outcomes.

I deeply respect the work NAEH has done over the years and the efforts to end shelter entry by focusing on those earning under 15% of Area Median Income (AMI). A great example was your comment at the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition Conference that some communities did not do Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing (HPRP) well because they “made income eligibility levels too high (50%, not 30%, or even 15%, of AMI) and did too much prevention.”* If a state or region remains focused on using a lot of resources for prevention, or at 50% AMI, how is NAEH working to correct this? What would you recommend a local service provider do to encourage a refocusing on households that might actually enter shelter? (*http://kshomeless.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Summit-remarks-by-Nan-Roman-04-12-11l.pdf)

Since resources are scarce, it is critical that we use every single dollar of homeless assistance wisely. We need to focus on interventions that are backed by evidence, and target them to the people who need them most. It is important to remember that 36% of people who are homeless tonight are unsheltered.
Prevention is critical, and mainstream systems such as welfare, housing and child welfare should focus on preventing households in their care from becoming homeless. Very few people making 30% of AMI enter the shelter system. Homeless funds need to be spent on people who are literally homeless. A practical suggestion for refocusing assistance in this way is to make sure that anyone you are assisting with homeless funding has the same characteristics (particularly income levels) as those households already in the shelter system.

Great response! And NAEH research shows that it is those close to or below 15% AMI that come into shelters. And yet some regions use a 50% AMI guideline contrary to NAEH's recommendation. How is NAEH encouraging regions to narrow their focus to those below 30% or 15% AMI?

Through our capacity-building work, we help communities structure their systems to take this approach. Through our education work, we try to build the knowledge behind the efficacy of this approach . Through our advocacy, we work with the federal agencies and Congress in the hope that they will adopt this policy.

Thank you! When you say "this approach" do you mean a target below 30% AMI or 15% AMI?

I'd say 15%, but you should look at your shelter data.

Does NAEH have a statement about this AMI targeting that can be sent to policy makers? And how did NAEH lose the HPRP debate so that it was set at 50% instead of closer to 15%?

Take a look at this www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/prevention-targeting-101

Hi Ms. Roman, I would like to know what is the Alliance's plan on assisting individuals who are homeless with co-occurring disorders such as chemical dependency?

Our plan is to house them.

What is the best thing the average person can do to help?

Take a look at this blog post that my colleague Steve Berg did on this subject recently: http://www.endhomelessness.org/blog/entry/what-can-you-do-to-make-a-real-difference1#.UqircdK1GE4

NOTE: The first thing he suggests is to contact your Member of Congress about the federal budget!

Most messed up situation or story you've heard about a homeless person

The best success story you've heard

Success story -- the large reductions in chronic homelessness, including among veterans, in places like Utah are exciting. Also, the fact that homelessness among families is starting to go down.
On an individual level, I think it's fantastic EVERY time I hear the story of someone who was homeless and gets into an apartment.
Messed up -- homeless children, people who are sick living on the street, people who die while they're homeless.

If you could enact one national law to attempt to end homelessness, what law would it be?

Also, what's your favorite Christmas song?

The Housing Commission of the Bipartisan Policy Center, of which I am a member, recently recommended that every low income family or individual who needed housing assistance should receive it. I think this would do more than any other single law to end homelessness. www.bipartisanpolicy.org

"I'll Be Home for Christmas"

Hi Nan, What do you think about transitional housing? Is there an important place for it, or is it time to let it go? I haven't seen much data in support of it, but some people seem very attached to the idea.

Research indicates that many of the people who currently receive transitional housing could do better with help returning more quickly to their own housing. At the very least, we should be shifting more resources to this approach and focusing any transitional housing on higher need people who might benefit from it such as people in early stages of recovery from substance abuse or homeless youth.

Aren't there people who want to be homeless? Like they really like camping or travelling? If these people exist, you can't really end homelessness.

In my personal experience, I have not met anyone I would say wants to be homeless. They often choose camping, etc. over the alternative of shelter, rules, etc. Sometimes people have mental illness, and it takes a while to reach them. But pretty much everyone wants a home.

Do you support housing mobility programs that seek to move low-income people, often of color, out of urban areas and into (wealthier, whiter) suburbs?

I think an important principle in regard to housing is choice -- and it also seems to have the best outcomes. People generally have the best information about where they will find opportunities and challenges for themselves.

Thanks for your response! A couple of quick follow-ups, if I may:

Are there times when urban residents just may not know that housing affordable to them exists in communities that they aren't familiar with, and that giving them this info would open up more housing options?

Does actual housing discrimination prevent more "opportunity" moves out of cities? Or perhaps, does the assumption of such discrimination discourage urban folk from even looking beyond their own communities?

Thanx!!

Choice does involve knowing your options, and certainly people need information and counseling to help them make good choices. Good points!

In my area there is a huge debate over the bulb, http://www.projectalbanybulb.org/, what are your thoughts on encampments?

Housing is the solution to homelessness -- not encampments.

I have been thinking of quitting my job and doing absolutely nothing for a couple of years. Will your program feed, clothe, house, and give me medical care for the course of my endeavor?

Bad decision on your part. Given what I have learned from working on homelessness over the years, being homeless is not a pleasant condition. Remember, over 215,000 people per night don't even have a bed in a shelter.