Prevention
The National Alliance to End Homelessness acknowledged that prevention is a necessary component to any strategy to end homelessness.
Examples of prevention services in our community are:
Assistance
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides homelessness assistance funding to States, local governments, and nonprofit providers to serve individuals and families across the United States who are affected by homelessness. You can learn more about the different types of funding; specific programs; application, data collection, and reporting systems; national, state, and local data and reports; and the populations affected by homelessness by clicking here on HUD Exchange.
Below is a list of some of the services, programs, and initiatives that exist in our community to support people who are experiencing homelessness.
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Coordinated entry is a process where partners work together to address the holistic needs of a person who is experiencing homelessness. A person who is experiencing homelessness can meet with one person and be connected to a wide variety of services. For information on coordinated entry access points in Baton Rouge click here.
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Emergency shelters means any facility, whose primary purpose is to provide a temporary shelter for the homeless in general or for specific populations and do not require occupants to sign leases or occupancy agreements. For a list of shelters in our community click here.
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Coordinated street outreach identifies and engages people living in unsheltered locations, such as in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, encampments, and on the streets, plays critical roles within systems for ending homelessness.
You can click here to inform the Baton Rouge Street Outreach Network of an individual or group of people who are experiencing homelessness and in need of resources.
Solutions
Homelessness is a complex issue, but one major part of ending homelessness is Housing. There are different programs that exist that address this barrier to housing.
Rapid Re-Housing is one solution to homelessness, which is designed to help individuals and families quickly exit homelessness and return to permanent housing.
The Louisiana Department of Health runs permanent supportive housing (PSH) program in our state. The program links affordable rental housing with voluntary, flexible, and individualized services to people with severe and complex disabilities, enabling them to live successfully in the community.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program is a federal government program that helps extremely-low and very-low-income families, senior citizens, and people with a disability with the ability to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhomes, and apartments. The participant is free to choose any housing in the private market that meets the requirements of the programs. In EBR the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority runs this program. You can learn more about the Housing Choice Voucher Program by clicking here.
Affordable Housing Communities owned and operated by the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority (EBRPHA) are another solution to addressing homelessness. EBRPHA owns and operates 12 affordable housing communities. You can learn more about the EBRPHA communities by clicking here.
Organizations and Resources
One Stop: The One Stop is a centralized location in Baton Rouge, where people who are experiencing homelessness can go to access the coordinated entry system as well as other additional services.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge