This week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced $1.6 billion in grants, funding more than 6,000 housing and services programs for homeless populations throughout the country. As part of this announcement, the District was awarded five new and 37 renewal projects. We are happy to announce that THC received one of the five new project awards to convert our Partner Arms 2 site-based program to Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH).

The PSH program serves chronically homeless families with mental or physical health disabilities. Our PSH program is based on the Housing First model, which focuses on quickly moving families experiencing homelessness into permanent housing with leases in their own names, and then providing support services. With the federal government acknowledging PSH programs as a best practice for serving chronically homeless families, we have begun converting our transitional housing units to permanent supportive housing. The conversion of Partner Arms 2 aligns with the federal government’s priority for PSH programs based in Housing First practice. We are excited to expand this evidence-based, best-practice program to serve more families in the District.

In addition to the Partner Arms 2 project, THC was also awarded funding to expand our “scattered site” PSH program through funding from the DC Department of Human Services (DHS). This new funding will allow us to increase our permanent supportive housing capacity from 124 families to 191.

We know permanent supportive housing is a key to ending family homelessness, and are thankful for the opportunity to serve more families. For more about the HUD grants and a full list of awardees, visit hud.gov.