*The Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program is a State of California block grant program designed to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address immediate homelessness challenges. HHAP provides local jurisdictions with flexible funding to address homelessness locally through evidence-based practices. HHAP was first authorized by AB 101 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 15, Statutes of 2019).
* Definition adopted from the County of San Mateo 'The Center on Homelessness' Website.
The HHAP youth set-aside funds vastly increased the California state funding for youth experiencing homelessness (YEH). Formally supported by Cal-ICH, and later supported by the California Department of Housing and Human Development (HCD), we evaluated the deployment and impact of HHAP set-aside funding to support its implementation.
Our evaluation had four objectives:
1) to develop guidelines for the implementation of the youth set aside for local communities;
2) to assess the impact of the youth set-aside, with a focus on HHAP rounds 1 to 3;
3) to calculate the evidence-based recommended proportion that should be allocated to the youth set-aside funds; and,
4) to recruit and support a cohort of YEH or former YEH to meaningfully participate as researchers and participants in the guidance for and evaluation of the HHAP youth set-aside funds.
In order to meet our objectives, our research team employed mixed methods, informed by existing evidence, and with the input of a broad range of stakeholders, including YEH, jurisdictions and Continuums of Care (CoC), providers, policymakers, advocates, and subject matter experts.
