The Supportive Housing Program (SHP) program provides supportive housing and/or supportive services to homeless persons. The SHP program can provide funding for many parts of the Continuum of Care, including outreach, intake and assessment, transitional housing, and permanent housing for persons with disabilities.

This program is part of a federal grant authorized by the McKinney/Vento Homeless Assistance Act. This legislation created three U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs that can be used to develop permanent housing for homeless individuals and families with disabilities: the Shelter Plus Care program (S+C), the Supportive Housing Program (SHP), and the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy program (Section 8 SRO). These three programs form the backbone of the Continuum of Care.

For more information:
A Guide to Continuum of Care Planning and Implementation
HUD's Supportive Housing Information
HUD's SHP Desk Guide

Frequently Asked Questions:
Who can apply for Supportive Housing Program funding?
What is the Application Process?
Who is eligible to participate in SHP-funded programs?
What can SHP funds can be used to create?
What are eligible activities for SHP funds?
How long do SHP grants last?

Who can apply for Supportive Housing Program funding?
Government entities and non-profit organizations, but only through the Continuum of Care process.

Application Process
McKinney/Vento Homeless Assistance funds are awarded to organizations participating in their state local Continuum of Care planning process. These funds (including SHP) are awarded through an annual national competition that's announced as a part of HUD's SuperNOFA (Notice of Funding Availability).

Who is eligible to participate in SHP-funded programs?
The Supportive Housing Program provides supportive housing and supportive services to homeless persons who are transitioning from streets and shelters to permanent housing and maximum self-sufficiency. For purposes of the McKinney/Vento programs, HUD considers a homeless person someone who:

• Is living in places not meant for human habitation (streets, cars, parks, etc.);
• Is living in an emergency shelter;
• Is living in transitional or supportive housing but originally came from the streets or shelter;
• Is living in any of the above but spending up to 30 consecutive days in an institution;
• Is being evicted within a week and has no subsequent residence;
• Is being discharged within a week from an institution (e.g., mental health or substance abuse facility or jail/prison) in which the person has been a resident for more than 30 consecutive days and no subsequent residence has been identified and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing; or
• Is fleeing a domestic violence situation and no subsequent residence has been identified.

SHP funds can be used to create:

• Transitional housing - one type of supportive housing used to facilitate the movement of homeless individuals and families to permanent housing. Transitional housing is housing in which homeless persons live for up to 24 months and receive supportive services that enable them to live more independently. The housing may be in a facility or in individual units on a scattered-site basis. The supportive services may be provided by the organization managing the housing or coordinated by this organization and provided by other public or private agencies in the community.
• Permanent housing for persons with disabilities - long-term housing with supportive services for homeless persons with disabilities. The intent of the housing is to enable homeless people with disabilities to live as independently as possible in a permanent setting. The setting can be in one site or can be located in scattered site housing units.
• Safe Havens - a targeted form of supportive housing for hard-to-reach single adults with severe mental illness who have been living on the streets and have been unwilling or unable to participate in supportive services. Safe Havens provide for basic needs such as showers, food, clothing, and shelter and as an entry point for individuals with severe mental illness to help them transition to accept services and to move toward more permanent housing.
• Supportive Services Only projects - address the service needs of homeless persons. Project sponsors cannot be providing housing to the same population receiving these services. Services can be at a central site or in multiple structures. In addition, through this component, project sponsors can conduct outreach to homeless persons or other mobile services.
• Innovative Supportive Housing enables an applicant to design a program that is outside the scope of the other components and must be able to demonstrate that the approach is a distinctly different one, and is a sensible model for others that can be replicated in other communities.

Eligible activities for use of SHP funds include:

• Acquisition of structures for supportive housing or to provide supportive services;
• Rehabilitation of structures for supportive housing or to provide supportive services;
• New construction of buildings for supportive housing where there is a lack of appropriate units that could be rehabilitated or the new construction costs substantially less than rehabilitation;
• Leasing of structures for supportive housing or to provide supportive services;
• Operating costs of supportive housing; and
• Supportive services.

SHP funds cannot be used for the following: homeless prevention; operating emergency shelters; or permanent housing for non-disabled persons.

How long do SHP grants last?
One to three years, depending on how many years of funding is requested in the HUD application. At the end of the grant period, SHP projects may be eligible to apply to HUD for renewal funding.