August 09 2016

PFS initiative to reduce chronic homelessness in Massachusetts.

Pay for Success Initiative To Reduce Chronic Individual Homelessness Successfully Houses Over 250 Individuals In First Year

Sampan

The first-in-the-nation Pay for Success initiative to reduce chronic individual homelessness in Massachusetts has successfully placed over 250 individuals in stable, supportive housing, exceeding the minimum goal set by the Commonwealth for its first year by over 50 individuals and paving the way for significant cost savings in emergency room and inpatient care.

The Pay for Success initiative being implemented by the Massachusetts Alliance for Supportive Housing (MASH) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts focuses on providing permanent, low-threshold supportive housing to those who would otherwise rely on costly emergency resources, enabling them to address their often complex health issues more effectively than they would on the streets or in shelters. MASH is a partnership of the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA), United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).

“Preliminary data suggests that by focusing on housing chronically homeless individuals and long-term homeless individuals who are high utilizers of emergency care, the Pay for Success initiative will have a significant impact on the utilization of emergency resources,” said Joe Finn, President & Executive Director of the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance.