Homelessness Policy Research Institute

The Homelessness Policy Research Institute (HPRI) convenes researchers and policymakers to help design and coordinate timely, relevant, and actionable research to end homelessness in Los Angeles County.
HPRI is a partnership between the USC Price Center for Social Innovation and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ Home for Good Initiative.

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USC Price Center and HPRI Director Dr. Gary Painter testified on June 19th, 2019 before the Senate Governance and Finance Committee of the California State Senate regarding AB 891’s Safe Parking Program. Watch his opening statement and full conversation.

View video highlights from the HPRI Research Symposium on “Trauma-Informed Care and Resiliency” featuring Roya Ijadi-Maghsoodi, Joelle Greene, Cheri Weeks, Susan Neufeld, Larae Cantley, Erika Hartman, Elizabeth Eastlund, and Charles Robbins.

NEW RESEARCH: Shared housing is one strategy deployed to maximize existing housing resources and provide options for those experiencing housing insecurity. This memo reviews existing literature and highlights the identified challenges and best practices associated with the shared housing model.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development launched the Family Options Study in 2008 to determine the effectiveness of policy interventions that assist families experiencing homelessness. This brief highlights the findings, applies policy lessons to LA County’s Homeless Initiative (HI), and recommends further areas of research.

View video highlights from the HPRI Research Symposium on “Predictive Analytics for Homelessness Prevention” featuring Gary Painter, Till von Wachter, and Janey Rountree.

NEW RESEARCH: In 2016, the City of Los Angeles developed a comprehensive strategy for homelessness with the goal of developing 10,000 permanent supportive housing (PSH) units over the next ten years (1,000 per year) using Proposition HHH funding. Given the context of this planned increase in the creation of PSH units, this memo examines the effectiveness of scattered-site and single-site PSH for various populations experiencing homelessness.

NEW RESEARCH: This memo reviews existing literature that explores the outcomes of individuals receiving services through the homeless system and provides context as to why people may re-enter the system.

NEW RESEARCH: “Safe parking” programs provide vehicle dwellers a safe and legal place to park and sleep in their vehicles overnight. This memo provides an overview of the structure, services and outcomes of safe parking programs around the country.

Watch video highlights (3:03) from our inaugural HPRI Research Symposium with Dr. Suzanne Wenzel on “Permanent Supportive Housing and Health Outcomes Among Individuals With Experiences of Chronic Homelessness”. Watch the full version (1:20:08) here.

POLICY BRIEF: Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is an evidence-based solution to house individuals experiencing chronic or long-term homelessness and who have physical or mental health problems. This research examines a population of individuals who have experienced homelessness and who have transitioned into PSH. The brief identifies opportunities to further support PSH residents through additional programmatic investments.

Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is effective at ending chronic homelessness. PSH should also be designed to accommodate and address accelerated aging experienced by homeless adults in order to help them age in place once they
are housed.

 

HOMELESSNESS POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Established with support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Home For Good Funders Collaborative, the Homelessness Policy Research Institute (HPRI) is a county-wide effort that includes over 30 scholars and policymakers coming together to convene and collaborate on research to end homelessness in Los Angeles County.  HPRI focuses on four primary activities:

  • Foster collaboration and coordination among researchers focused on homelessness in the Los Angeles region.
  • Share current and upcoming research with policymakers and community partners to inform on-the-ground work.
  • Conduct rapid-response policy research to inform policy and program design.
  • Assist in developing and coordinating requests for proposals for homelessness research relevant to Los Angeles

HPRI is proud to operate in conjunction with USC’s Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness, which seeks to expand university resources to fight homelessness in Los Angeles County.


About HPRI

Established with a leadership gift from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and support from the Home For Good Funders Collaborative, the Homelessness Policy Research Institute (HPRI) is a county-wide effort that includes over 30 scholars and policymakers coming together to convene and collaborate on research to end homelessness in Los Angeles County.

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HPRI Research

Through its commitment to sharing and disseminating high-impact, actionable research relevant to homelessness in Los Angeles County, HPRI curates and organizes the newest research relevant to homelessness policies and programs in Los Angeles County.

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HPRI Activities

HPRI conducts a wide range of rapid-response policy research requested by local partners and provides assistance in developing RFPs for homelessness research relevant to Los Angeles County.

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HPRI Partners

HPRI research committee partners include highly regarded researchers from a variety of public and private institutions, including: USC, UCLA, Corporation for Supportive Housing, RAND Corporation, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Abt Associates, Economic Roundtable, and others.

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HPRI is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation