Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which included $1.5 billion for a Homelessness Prevention Fund. Funding for this program, called the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), was distributed based on the formula used for the Emergency Shelter Grants Program.

For additional information on the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), please visit HUD's ARRA page, or www.Recovery.gov.

Switch among the tabs to view other HPRP-related information.

HPRP ended nationwide on September 30, 2012.
Federal HPRP funds are no longer available.

Promising Practices & Success Stories

HPRP marks the first time that such a large amount of federal funds has been available for homelessness prevention at the national level. Since the beginning of the program, communities across the country have worked to prevent and end homelessness for over one million people, including families and individuals (see the HPRP Year 1 Summary). Homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing are key strategies of Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness and are components of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. While HPRP in name will come to an end in 2012, the activities will be eligible under the new Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program. Learning what has been instrumental to foster success in other communities can be key as communities continue to incorporate prevention and rapid re-housing activities into their continuum. This page contains community and program-level promising practices and individual success stories submitted by HPRP programs across the country.

Submit a Story

HUD encourages communities to submit examples of how they have used HPRP to effect change in their communities and homeless continuum, and to positively impact residents’ lives. To submit your story, please use the Promising Practices and Success Stories Template.

Find a Story

To see stories highlighting community or program-level systems change, successful targeting strategies, or examples of how HPRP has helped communities to decrease their homeless or shelter population, look under Promising Practices. Stories highlighting individual or family HPRP success stories can be found by looking under Individual Success Stories.

Read our most recent stories below, press the "View All" button to view all the stories, or use the links on the right navigation bar to look for stories by topic. To clear your topic selection criteria, click the Clear Search button below.

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Mother and Daughter Find a Better Future with the Help of HPRP

Despite her limited education, work experience, and abusive past, Carla and her daughter were able to start a new life. At the Rainbow House Shelter for women and children Carla met with a case manager to help realize her personal assets and received financial assistance to help her move into a home and pursue her GED. HPRP provided her with the security deposit she needed to move into a subsidized apartment, and connected her to furniture and food donations to make her apartment feel more like a home.
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Veteran Finds Safety and Relief Through HPRP and HUD-VASH

Upon returning to her family from her second tour in Iraq, DJ was confronted with an abusive husband, a family to take care of, and several war-related injuries. DJ left her husband and moved her children to be near family in Philadelphia where she eventually entered HPRP. With the help of HPRP and then HUD-VASH, DJ was able to get the veteran support she needed and a safe home for her family.
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Single Mother Achieves Education Goals

As a young, single mother of two, Danni had many responsibilities and very little income. Through HPRP, she received rental assistance and help towards achieving her goal of becoming a certified nursing assistant. She has since graduated, now has a full time job that supports her family and has big plans for their future.
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A Laid Off Wisconsin Woman Finds Hope, Direction in HPRP

Two years after losing her job and her marriage, Sheri entered HPRP feeling overwhelmed by her bills. In the program, Sheri met a case manager and a network of friends who became her financial and emotional support. She learned how to prioritize housing costs and budget while working part-time jobs. Sheri left the program with this new skill set, a home, and full-time employment.
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