History

• According to a 2006 report by Martha Burt of the Urban Institute, awareness of homelessness in the United States became prominent in the 1980s. The first federally legislated housing program, the Supportive Housing Program, began in 1987 as a result of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act.
  
  

Inspiration

• The condition of family homeless shelters was a major factor leading to the development of transitional housing. In New York City, for example, a great number of families needing assistance overwhelmed the area's shelters, which were not designed for extended stays. Little privacy was available to these families, which could not afford other housing.
  
  

Effects

• A 1995 study of U.S. Department of Housing and Development programs showed that 70 percent of families receiving transitional housing services progressed to stable housing, showing that these programs appear to be effective. Martha Burt argues, however, that more benefits could be realized by sidestepping transitional housing and immediately placing families in permanent housing with the same accompanying service programs.