Program overview
Reducing homelessness among young adults: Rising Up was a housing initiative that provided young adults (18-24 years old) with homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing services. Rising Up participants were more likely to be in safe and stable housing and described positive outcomes related to employment and general well-being.
Coordinating city-wide resources: Rising Up uses a collaborative structure, in which a lead public partner - such as a city department of homelessness - coordinates resources and actions across multiple stakeholders. The lead partner brings together conflict resolution nonprofits, housing nonprofits, case management nonprofits, youth access points, relevant city departments, and private funders to resolve young adults’ housing challenges.
Reaching young adults through access points: Young adults between 18 and 24 years old can access Rising Up services through any of a city’s coordinated access points, which include youth centers and LGBTQ centers. When a young person enrolls, they are supported in one of two ways. If they are facing homelessness, they are connected to resources such as food and rent payments to avoid homelessness. If they are experiencing homelessness, the program connects them to housing search services.
Connecting young adults to rapid rehousing: Rising Up connects young adults who are experiencing homelessness to a housing nonprofit, which presents them with up to three affordable housing units, which the participant can accept or reject. The nonprofit presents housing in accordance with the participant’s preferences, including cost, location, and proximity to or distance from family. The nonprofit pays up to $27,000 in rental subsidies over a participant’s time in the program.
Resolving life challenges through case management: Alongside their housing search and rental assistance, participants begin meeting with a case manager on a weekly or biweekly basis. Case managers discuss goals, challenges, and rental payments with participants, provide job search and application assistance, and support participants in securing transportation and professional attire. Case managers meet with participants less frequently as they transition through the program.
One study with a less-rigorous design suggests that Rising Up’s rapid rehousing model is a promising strategy for securing safe and stable housing for young adults.
- A 2023 program evaluation found that 92 percent of enrolled Rising Up participants were successfully re-housed, with only 7 percent exiting the program before they secured housing.
Prioritize truly affordable housing: An evaluation of Rising Up found that many participants did not plan to stay in their units once their rental subsidy expires, as they would be unable to afford it without a subsidy. Therefore, while housing provides stability such that participants are better able to secure employment, participants may be forced to move from their housing placement. Whenever possible, housing partners should seek to connect participants to housing that will be affordable to participants after their subsidy expires (e.g., given participants’ improved employment status).
Expand shared housing options: Relatedly, in the Rising Up model, the housing nonprofit only connects participants with studio or one-bedroom housing options. Given the cost of housing, when participants’ subsidies end, many cannot afford to live on their own. Housing non-profits should consider offering larger units, should participants have interested in a shared living situation.
Communicate to participants about program transitions: Participants receive services less frequently as they progress in the program, and an evaluation found that many Rising Up participants experienced these transitions negatively. Specifically, they experienced the transition from housing staff to a caseworker as a loss of service, and they experienced case managers’ tapering of meetings as a sign of their losing interest. When replicating Rising Up, programs should prioritize communicating with participants about these program transitions, so that participants maintain their trust in the program.
Address health challenges: The same evaluation found that, while Rising Up addressed many of their participants’ holistic needs, participants faced a variety of physical and mental health challenges that Rising Up was unprepared to support. Replicating organizations should consider partnerships that will support participant health needs, including access to primary care, sexual and reproductive health care, and mental health support.