History and Timeline

July, 1987 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 signed into law
The first significant federal legislative response to homelessness, The McKinney Act originally had 15 programs providing a spectrum of services to homeless people.

May, 1990 Melville Charitable Trust organized
The Trust's board decides on a mission to "find and fights the causes of homelessness." The Trust supports direct service and housing programs that can serve as models throughout the country, and funds research, education and advocacy.

October, 1991 Corporation for Supportive Housing established
Since 1991, CSH has committed over $207 million to support 23,000 units of supportive housing, with 14,800 more units in the pipeline - ending homelessness for at least 26,800 adults and children.

May, 1998 Partnership for Strong Communities established
The Melville Trust founds the Partnership  to raise public awareness and advance solutions to ending chronic homelessness and building healthy and economically vital communities. Connecticut becomes an early model for national efforts to fight homelessness.

March, 1999 Priced Out in 1998: The Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities published for first time
This guide from the Technical Assistance Collaborative, published several times since, demonstrated that there is not a single housing market in the US where a person with a disability receiving SSI benefits can afford to rent a modest efficiency apartment.

January, 2001 "The Impact of Supportive Housing for Homeless People with Severe Mental Illness" published (aka NYC/NY Study)
This groundbreaking study of more than 4600 homeless individuals in NYC found that supportive housing reduced use of emergency shelters, psychiatric hospitals, medical services, prisons and jails, paying for 95% of the costs of supportive housing.

October, 2002 National Alliance to End Homelessness releases Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness
The Alliance's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness sets out clear objectives and areas of activity needed to end homelessness , including the need to create 150,000 units of supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals nationally.

October, 2002National Housing Trust Fund Campaign launched
4,000 national, state and local organizations endorse the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign. The bill seeks to rehabilitate and preserve 1.5 million affordable homes over the next ten years (see below...).

May, 2003 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funds CSH's Taking Health Care Home Initiative
CSH uses THCH to demonstrate how supportive housing ends homelessness for people with chronic health conditions including mental illness, alcohol and chemical dependency, and HIV/AIDS, and how to replicate this on a national scale.

November, 2005PELTH members respond to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Gulf Coast
Several PELTH founders put resources behind a campaign for a 3,000 unit permanent supportive housing initiative for Louisiana, and to help the state reimagine service delivery to the disabled and most vulnerable.

July, 2007President Signs Legislation Providing $73 Million for 3000 units of supportive housing in Louisiana
Supportive housing advocates from Louisiana and across the country succeed in passing legislation to provide $73 million in federal rental subsidies for the State of Louisiana’s Permanent Supportive Housing Initiative.

November, 2007 Gallup poll reports that 92% of Americans believe more needed to address the issue of homelessness
This poll, released by Fannie Mae, reports that over 90% of Americans believe more is needed to end homelessness, and nearly 1/3 say they were at one point concerned that they might become homeless.

January, 2008 PELTH co-sponsors with Fannie Mae first Maxwell Awards of Excellence focusing exclusivly on supportive housing
The awards honor 14 nonprofits for their excellence in the creation and management of supportive housing for homeless individuals and families.

July, 2008 National Housing Trust Fund Act passed
After years of advocacy, the Act is passed as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. When funded, it will help create rental housing affordable to extremely low-income households (below 30% of area median income).

September, 2008 HUD Announces 30% decline in chronic homelessness
In its Third Annual Homeless Assessment Report, HUD announced that last year the country experienced an 11% decrease in homelessness, and a 30% drop in chronic homelessness since 2005.

November, 2008 CSH announces estimate that from 2002 to 2007 between 65,000 and 72,000 new supportive housing units were created
CSH announces that more than 60,000 units of permanent supportive housing have been created, and another 30,000 are currently in pipeline. CSH and others estimate that 150,000 PSH units are needed to end chronic homelessness.

December, 2008 More than 350 Community Plans to End Homelessness
According to the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, by the end of 2008, 860 cities and counties hade partnered in the creation of 355 10 Year Plans to End Homelessness.

May, 2009 Robert Hohler named Council on Foundations Distinguished Grantmaker of the Year
Robert Hohler, chair of Funders Together and executive director of the Melville Charitable Trust, receives the nation's highest award for grantmakers acknowledging his leadership and creativity in efforts to end homelessness.

July, 2009 Family homelessness jumps 56%
Homeless families in suburban and rural areas jump by 56% in 2008, according to the Fourth Annual Homeless Assessment Report.