Homelessness is complex, and so are its causes and solutions, because people are complex. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, the Housing First approach has produced wonderful results across the country and the globe. Housing First is the method that puts unhoused individuals into housing and then begins to work on the root causes of homelessness.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a review of 26 studies found that a Housing First approach decreased homelessness by 88% and improved housing stability by 41%. While the 88% decrease in homelessness is substantial, it is equally important to recognize the improved housing stability; this means that, once housed, 41% of participants remain housed.
The Housing First approach has been wildly successful in Houston, in Indianapolis, and in Finland, which looks to eradicate homelessness by the late 2020s. Housing First is working in these places, and individuals are living with dignity and can heal from a position of safety that Housing First provides.
What This Looks Like in Indiana:
Housing First consistently helps people stay housed for the long term. The main goal of Housing First is to end homelessness, and the evidence shows it works very well. According to the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), permanent housing programs in the Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care recorded a 92.84% rate of exits to a permanent destination or retention in permanent housing during the 2023–2024 reporting year, and an 86% retention rate over a two-year period. Simply put, those in need are being housed and are remaining housed.
Homelessness is rising rapidly in our state. The number of people sleeping in unsheltered locations has surged by 123.6%, more than doubling over six years, according to IHCDA.On a single night, at least 4,860 individuals were unhoused, based on the most recent Point in Time Count conducted on January 29, 2025. These are men, women, and children fighting to survive.
Indiana is not alone, and homelessness is rising across the country. Last year alone, nationally there was an 18% rise in homelessness according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. This is due to rising housing costs, insufficient resources to meet the demand, inadequate access to health care, and many other factors that force working individuals out of their homes. Those most at risk are families with children, older adults, and those with disabilities.
Indianapolis recognized this influx and decided to act by bringing a Housing First approach to city-wide homelessness. Streets to Home Indy, led by the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention (CHIP), moves people directly from the street into permanent housing, pairing a home with the services a person needs rather than requiring them to earn a home first. According to CHIP, the initiative’s first phase aims to house 300 to 350 people living unsheltered on Indianapolis’ streets within 12 months, backed by $8.1 million in local, unrestricted funding, with a four-to-six-week path from the street to a home. Its larger goal, according to CHIP, is to end chronic and unsheltered homelessness in the city by 2028. As of today, the organization has housed over 200 individuals with a housing retention rate of 95%.
Proof That It Scales
Housing First is not an experiment. More than 100 cities and counties are now using data to measurably reduce homelessness through Community Solutions’ Built for Zero movement. Houston, Texas is another example and success story of how Housing First makes a difference. They took a Housing First approach back in 2012, and since then homelessness has dropped by 63% in Houston, and more than 30,000 people have been housed. This method does not just work in the United States; Finland is a glowing example of how successful this approach can be, and they are within reach of their goal to end homelessness by the late 2020s.
A key to a home doesn’t fix everything, but it is the one intervention that can reliably end a person’s unhoused situation, and studies show the retention rate of remaining housed is high.
Reducing homelessness by 88% means real change for those who are unhoused and the communities where homelessness is an issue. While the statistic is impressive, the key takeaway is that it represents individuals who were once unhoused and are now stably housed and working to better themselves. Housing First is being implemented in cities across the country with high success rates. This is a real solution with great results.
Other Articles in the Housing Is the Answer Series:
Housing First, Explained: The Simple Idea That Stability Starts With a Home
Sources
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Housing First: A Review of the Evidence,” Evidence Matters (Spring/Summer 2023). huduser.gov
Tsemberis, S., Gulcur, L., & Nakae, M., “Housing First, Consumer Choice, and Harm Reduction for Homeless Individuals With a Dual Diagnosis,” American Journal of Public Health, 2004;94(4):651–656. ajph.aphapublications.org
Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, “2025 Indiana Balance of State State of Homelessness,” IN BoS Continuum of Care. in.gov/ihcda (PDF)
Community Solutions, “Built for Zero: The Movement.” community.solutions
Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention (CHIP), “Streets to Home Indy.” chipindy.org
Beck, Caroline, “Homelessness initiative finds housing for 200 people in Indianapolis,” WFYI Public Media, July 17, 2026. wfyi.org
Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, “Inside Houston’s Successful Strategy to Reduce Homelessness” (CBS Sunday Morning). cfthhouston.org
National Alliance to End Homelessness, “State of Homelessness: 2025 Edition.” endhomelessness.org
