When Homebase was founded in 2004, its goal was to provide people with services to prevent them from becoming homeless. Since then, housing has become increasingly unaffordable, and the number of homeless individuals has increased both throughout New York City. This caused the city government to shift its priorities from diverse prevention services to connecting as many individuals as possible with housing subsidies. The current mission of Homebase has strayed so far from its original intentions that contracted nonprofit service providers no longer feel that they are effectively serving their community. A realignment of the Homebase system is needed to truly meet vulnerable New Yorkers and give them the knowledge and assistance needed to thrive independently in the long term. Using data and information from the teams operating Homebase programs across the city, HSU created these recommendations to improve program operations and outcomes.
Our recommendations call for increased funding to hire and retain case managers, stronger HRA technology and clearer communication with providers, simpler voucher applications, dedicated resources for older New Yorkers, and performance measures that reflect long-term stability for the New Yorkers Homebase serves rather than application counts. Together, these changes would give providers the time and flexibility to return to the individualized, prevention-focused case management that made Homebase a national model.
