The purpose of this report is to provide the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors with information on the cost effectiveness of Project 50, a program created by action of the Board and funded by the County’s Homeless Prevention Initiative (HPI). Project 50 provides housing and integrated supportive services to the most vulnerable homeless adults previously living on the streets of Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. While the goals of the program are first and foremost humanitarian, its development and implementation in Los Angeles County also signals the Board’s recognition that homelessness has become a serious fiscal problem insofar as homeless individuals tend to be heavy users of County services, cycling in and out of emergency rooms, substance abuse clinics, mental health facilities and jails, often receiving duplicative care in the process, and drawing on public resources each time they utilize the services these institutions and agencies provide. A key policy question that must be addressed, particularly given the fiscal challenges currently facing Los Angeles County, is the extent to which participation in Project 50 offsets the utilization of expensive public services. Put differently, does investment in Project 50 yield an avoidance of larger service costs? Read more.
Project 50: The Cost Effectiveness of the Permanent Supportive Housing Model in the Skid Row Section of Los Angeles County
County of Los Angeles Chief Executive Office Service Integration Branch
Year: 2012