When disaster strikes – whether it is a global pandemic, a natural disaster, or a homelessness crisis – one basic human necessity is always in short supply: a safe place to sleep.

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Presented below are solutions for shelter that can be rapidly deployed for those in need in 90 days or less. This is shelter for our bravest men and women – fighting fires, protecting and rebuilding communities, serving their country – working at the frontlines in the face of adversity.

This is shelter for our most vulnerable populations – for our loved ones recovering outside the emergency room, for our neighbors who have lost their homes, for the refugees who have nowhere else to go. This is home, for now…

The Housing Innovation Collaborative, a nonprofit housing innovation coalition based in Los Angeles, is collecting the following growing list of solutions presented below as a resource for local governments around the world. Presented solutions are subject to HICo’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

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• CARES ACT – HUD ESG – $4 Billion total in Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) targeted toward communities with high homeless populations or individuals at risk of becoming homeless – link here.
• California State Resources – FEMA Reimbursement, Emergency Funding, Project Roomkey
• CA State’s The Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP): A 2019-enacted $650 million one-time block grant that provides local jurisdictions with funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address their immediate homelessness challenges.
• CA State’s Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP): A 2018-enacted one-time $500 million block grant program created in 2018 to provide direct assistance to California’s homeless Continuums of Care (CoCs) and large cities to address the homelessness crisis throughout the state.
• HUD CDBG-CV 
• Emergency Management Performance Grant Program
  • Deadline: April 28, 2020 at 5 p.m. EDT. Per the NOFO for the COVID 19 Supplemental – total funding available in fiscal year 2020: $100 million. It funds “5. Planning for alternate care sites” “2. Integration of emergency management and public health operations;” “Information Sharing” and covers a wide range of costs

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• United States:
  • Martin v. Boise:  Supreme Court ruling leaves in place earlier rulings by the 9^th Circuit that homeless persons cannot be punished for sleeping outside on public property in the absence of adequate alternatives. People experiencing unsheltered homelessness—at least in the 9^th Circuit—can sleep more safely without facing criminal punishment for simply trying to survive on the streets. Case background.
• California:
  • Pending
    • AB-2960 Shelter crises: fire and life safety standards (Pending 2020): Existing law authorizes a governing body of a political subdivision, as those terms are defined, to declare a shelter crisis if the governing body makes a specified finding. Upon declaration of a shelter crisis, existing law, among other things, suspends certain state and local laws, regulations, and ordinances to the extent that strict compliance would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the shelter crisis. Latest Bill Status.
  • Passed:
    • SB 1152: Hospital patient discharge process: homeless patients (2019). Orders hospitals in the state to write discharge planning policies for homeless patients and coordinate with social service agencies in the area. Before releasing a homeless patient, the hospitals must verify that the patient was fed, clothed, and given appropriate medication. Read more.
• Los Angeles:
  • LA Alliance for Human Rights v. City of Los Angeles (June 2020):  Los Angeles City and County ordered to create 5,300 beds for homeless people over the next 10 months, rising to 6,000 over a year and a half. The county must pay the city $8 million if the 5,300-bed target is reached within 10 months. Article.

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• National
  • MIT x FEMA: Challenges to Nationwide Codes and Industry Scaling. Link here.
• Los Angeles:
  • Fire Dept: Directive 45 – Cold/Wet Weather Shelters. Link here.
  • LA Municipal Code 91.8605: Emergency Homeless Shelters: Link here.

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Los Angeles Bridge Shelter Program Map

Possible Additional Sites (Los Angeles Area)

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• Guidelines for opening an emergency shelter – this field guide from Red Cross
• FEMA fact sheet: https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1565204480008-bd52bde3d0430ea3db34b1ccf5a76595/FACTSHEET_ShelteringSupport.pdf
• Disasters case Studies, staffing matrixes, concepts: https://nationalmasscarestrategy.org/sheltering/
• Community Planning and Home Preparedness Guide (Keep Safe Guide by Enterprise): https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/solutions-and-innovation/disaster-recovery-and-rebuilding/keepsafe

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• Cal OES 2017 Innovative Housing Solutions Request for Information (2018): The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is surveying the marketplace for potential vendors that can provide options for innovative housing solutions that could be utilized to support long-term housing needs following the October 2017 California Wildfires disaster.
• Sonoma Innovative Housing Solutions – Request For Information (2017)
• Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency Permanent Homeless Housing Efficiency Units (2018)
• Mississippi Alternative Housing Program (2007 Post Katrina) – Report/summary (2009), Planning for A Temporary-to-Permanent Housing Solution – Academic Journal (2011)

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