Building a Housing Loss Prevention Program: Lessons from Siloam Mission

Housing First is best practice in working with folks experiencing chronic and episodic homelessness, but ending homelessness takes a variety of approaches involving various sectors. In order to end homelessness in our country, communities must also focus on prevention. Without this proactive approach, agencies expend valuable resources and energy on reactive solutions rather than addressing root causes. 

Housing loss prevention programs work with folks who are housed but at imminent risk of losing their housing in the next 30–60 days. Built on the principles of harm reduction and strengths-based, person-focused, trauma-informed case management, the HLP program at Siloam Mission in Winnipeg is designed to support participants for approximately 3–6 months to stabilize their housing. This timeline is flexible, recognizing people may require lengthier case management support to stabilize their tenancies. When ongoing support is needed, the HLP program connects participants to other services to ensure holistic care.

If the current housing cannot be retained, case workers try to rehouse quickly so that participants do not end up experiencing homelessness, or if they do, that it is as brief as possible. Access to risk mitigation funds are an essential component of an eviction prevention program to provide practical assistance in financial matters.

Siloam Mission’s HLP program has tracked participant involvement in the last two years. After working with 83 participants, these results have shown 49% of participants graduate from the program within 6 months, and another 30% within 9 months 21% of participants have needed ongoing support from the program until stabilization occurred or an appropriate longer-term support could be put in place (Table 1). With the ultimate goal of housing retention, Siloam’s program has demonstrated that at the three-month check-up, 61% of participants are still in their initial housing, and 28% had been supported to find new housing. Only 11% of participants had exited the program unsuccessfully within the first 90 days due to experiencing incarceration, death, or losing contact with the program (Table 2).

The development of the Housing Loss Prevention program has been a work in progress, guided by participant experiences and data. Entities interested in building their own Housing Loss Prevention program may be wondering where to start. Here are five key considerations in building a Housing Loss Prevention program.

1. Flexible:

o  People’s housing becomes at risk for a variety of reasons. Can case workers assist with prepping for sprays for pests? Budgeting problems? Landlord advocacy? Guest management? A well-rounded case worker should be flexible and able to assist with a variety of issues that put people’s housing at risk.

o   A person-centred approach means not everyone will be ready to maintain their housing on their own within 3–6 months. Siloam Mission’s HLP program has demonstrated that while about half of HLP participants graduate within 3–6 months, 30% need support for 6 to 9 months and 20% need longer-term support.

o  Flexible risk mitigation funds are essential to ensuring someone can remain in their housing. Hard rules around the maximum payment per participant may mean a person is disqualified from assistance by a few dollars. Person-centred support means not everyone needs or gets the same financial relief, or with a strict repayment plan. Not everyone needs a security deposit or emergency rent payment. Some people may need help with utility bills or costs associated with moving or storage. Flexibility is key to be able to offer person-centred support.

2. Fast:

• There cannot be a waitlist in a housing loss prevention program. The program can either help them now, or it can’t. Imminent risk means immediate response.          
• Rapid response is critical! Reply to landlords quickly to let them know you’re involved. When an agency has a reputation for responding to participant and landlord needs in a timely manner, landlords will be more willing to work with them. At the end of the day, keeping people housed is the goal, so responsiveness and trustworthiness is key.
• Risk mitigation funds should be issued the same day if possible. A quick processing time for emergency rent, damage deposit, application fee, or other risk mitigation funds can be the difference between someone keeping their housing or not. This can also stand in stark contrast to what some landlords are used to if they are accustomed to government payments (welfare or top ups) that can have significant processing delays.

3. Finances:

• Budget accordingly. When planning the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, designate a fund that is able to respond to people’s financial needs related to housing or rehousing. In Siloam Mission’s HLP program, about 50% of individuals in the program need financial support. A good rule of thumb is for the budget to be able to pay the equivalent of 2 months rent for 50% of participants the program plans to support.
• Get the finance department on board! Help them understand and appreciate their role in ending homelessness. Having a housing-focused approach as an entire staff, whether or not they are involved in direct service provision, helps prioritize important tasks. Ending homelessness demands a united approach. In a job that has competing demands, aligning with the organization’s mission will help prioritize the tasks at hand.
• Share success stories! When shelter staff who are not in direct service roles are kept in the loop (within the bounds of confidentiality, of course!), it can invigorate them in their roles. Sharing with the finance team the direct result of their hard work builds momentum and fuels a passion to end homelessness, because they know their job has tangible benefits for the participants in the program. Even though they may never meet them face to face, their role is key.

4. Feasibility:

• Critical thinking is essential to ensure that there can be maximum impact with the budgeted funds. Are there other issues also putting participants’ housing at risk? Oftentimes, the presenting issue is not the only issue—it’s important to see what other factors are at play. If the program issues funds, what are the chances that this will help the participant to retain their current housing? Will this payment just defer an inevitable eviction in 1–2 months? Choosing to spend the risk mitigation funds on situations that will increase the feasibility of staying in housing long term is crucial.

5.   Facts:

• Know the provincial residential tenancy laws and support participants to fight for their rights. Sometimes a new renter receives a warning letter or notice, stating that if they do not comply it will result in eviction. Remembering that people have varying levels of reading comprehension, they may understand that to mean they have to leave now. Get copies of the letters they receive and know the process. Most legal evictions take time—help participants know their rights for things like timelines, mediated agreements, and appeals.

In summary, a Housing First approach alone is insufficient; communities must actively enhance the social safety net for individuals at risk of homelessness. By mitigating the inflow into homelessness and implementing the strategies outlined above, homelessness can effectively be reduced within our communities.

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Lindsay Enns and Kristin Kennedy are Manager and Supervisor of the Transition Services program respectively at Siloam Mission in Winnipeg located on Treaty 1 territory. They launched the Housing Loss Prevention program in July 2022 with combined funding from Reaching Home stewarded through End Homelessness Winnipeg and Siloam Mission donors. Together, they have over 25 years experience in the homelessness sector. Lindsay and Kristin lead a team of 10 caseworkers to support folks experiencing chronic and episodic homelessness or housing insecurity to find and maintain their housing and to work on goals that are important to them. They believe in a strengths-based, trauma-informed, harm reduction, and person-centred approach to their work and are passionate about housing as a human right.

This post is part of our #CAEH24 blog series which highlights research on preventing and ending homelessness that is being presented at the 2024 National Conference on Ending Homelessness, October 29-31 in Ottawa, ON. Learn more about this work through the Tenants Deserve Better: A Look at Housing Stability and Eviction Prevention Programs session on Tuesday, October 29, from 1:30 – 3pm.