Many members of the Dream Team have experienced homelessness or housing instability at some point in their lives. The majority credit their ability to stay housed to the supports they have received from staff and other tenants in permanent supportive housing units.
Dream Team members frequently discuss the transformational possibilities inherent in permanent supportive housing. Those who are frequently considered the “hardest to house,” due to severe mental health and addictions issues, are more likely to maintain stable residences when their units are affordable and they have access to the right support. Yet tenants of permanent supportive housing often face challenges in their day-to-day living and access to units continues to remain an issue. There is also a serious concern that the voice of tenants is not being heard.
This report is meant to start a conversation about the way that tenants and service providers can work together to advocate for services and resources to improve the lives of tenants in permanent supportive housing. Our research focused on bringing the voices and experience of tenants living in permanent supportive housing to the forefront.
Over the course of a year, the Dream Team Research Committee laid the groundwork for the research to create our New Bill of Rights that were developed directly from the research conducted with tenants who live in permanent supportive housing.
