The Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs publishes policy-focused reports, white papers and proceedings addressing a variety of subjects that reflect contemporary global issues and the outstanding research and scholarship of our faculty. Some of these are produced in cooperation with other organizations that the school partners with.
Since the fall of 2023, federal funding to the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust has supported more housing vouchers that subsidize rents, increased street outreach and long-term case management, and provided technical assistance to address unsheltered homelessness. It has enabled social service providers to implement a coordinated housing-first approach that emphasizes rapid placement in housing and connection with supportive services. This contrasts with a status quo approach that, due to a scarcity of housing, relies on long shelter stays and exposes people to criminalization of unsheltered homelessness. Drawing on interviews with 20 individuals who have recently been unsheltered in Miami-Dade County, this report compares experiences of the two approaches. The findings call for more investment in the housing-first approach and less investment in policies that advance criminalization and coercing people into shelters with poor conditions.
