Housing First Erie
Addressing Chronic Homelessness Through Supportive Housing
OUR GOALS
• Develop housing to permanently house our most vulnerable individuals.
• Launch an Integrated Care Team of supportive service workers to serve the clients in achieving health and housing stability.
• Provide opportunities for Erie residents to have a place to call home.
OUR APPROACH
In early 2024, after 18 months of planning and county-wide collaboration, community leaders launched Housing First Erie. The initiative operates under Infinite Erie, a community-wide investment strategy to attract public and private sector funding for transformative projects, and is guided by the Leadership Team.
The Action Team implements the Housing First model, which provides stable housing and wraparound services to individuals experiencing chronic homelessness without conditions. They are tasked with bringing new permanent supportive housing units online to support this approach.
Five months after launch, the Action Team closed on a property in the City of Erie, in support of Housing First Erie, called Washington Square.
WASHINGTON SQUARE
The campus at West 21st Street and Sassafras is under development for additive housing units. This property will:
- Provide 72+ safe, healthy, stable, affordable additive housing units.
- Transform underutilized lots into beautiful residential and green spaces.
- Consist of Schoolhouse Apartments and a future development on the eastern end of the property.
HOMELESSNESS IS A HOUSING PROBLEM
Erie lacks sufficient safe, stable, and affordable housing. Chronically
homeless individuals - those with at least 12 months of homelessness-face even greater challenges in securing housing.
HOMELESSNESS IS EXPENSIVE
It costs a community roughly $50,000 per year for each person experiencing chronic homelessness.* If 100 people experience chronic homelessness each year in Erie County, the community is spending roughly $5 million each year without seeing improvements to housing or public health.
HOMELESSNESS IS IN ERIE COUNTY
Erie housing providers work diligently to house chronically homeless individuals, but there is still an annual average of 100 people in Erie County who don’t have a place to call home. We aim to reduce chronic homelessness in Erie County by 75% in three years.
*Idaho Policy Institute, Boise State University
We are committed to open dialogue about our approach and projects. Please see our response to frequently asked questions, and we welcome additional conversation if you have any questions.
Why are you focused on the chronic homeless population?
Each year, Erie’s charitable and government sectors work together to house around 400 households. However, about 100 people remain on the “Erie master list”, individuals with severe service needs such as mental health and addiction challenges. Seventy-five percent of them have a disabling condition. By implementing the Housing First model, we aim to meet the unmet needs of this population. Building a community that serves those with the deepest needs ensures a compassionate, scalable system that can serve everyone.
Why are you creating and finding permanent housing?
Everyone deserves a safe and stable home. Instead of forcing individuals to navigate multiple waiting lists while unhoused, we are creating a pathway that addresses both housing and health.
Research shows that our brains need a secure, permanent place to heal from trauma — and that living in transition is hard. A lease in your name represents stability. We also know that, in addition to housing stability, people with severe mental illness and those in recovery need intensive supportive services. We aim to build permanent housing with supportive services, where people can find safety and health.
How does supportive housing work exactly? How long can people stay?
People will be referred from the Erie Home Team, which manages the central wait listing for people experiencing homelessness, to these supportive housing units. Clients will sign a lease and can stay as long as they follow the terms of that lease. They will be matched with intensive supportive services to work on the root causes of their homelessness. Rent will be affordable, and tenants are responsible for a portion of their rent.
As a hospital foundation, why is Hamot Health Foundation involved?
Homelessness is a public health crisis. This population experiences higher rates of chronic mental and physical health conditions. Homelessness creates barriers to access to care and compliance with medical directives, preventing individuals from reaching their optimal health. Improving the health of our entire community starts with the most vulnerable.
If you would like to support this initiative, please reach out to Nick Cianci or Mark Louis or click the button below. For all general inquiries, please contact Hannah Moran.