The Pay For Success Permanent Supportive Housing Pilot Program
Rhode Island is pleased to launch the Pay For Success (PFS) Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Pilot Program, a new initiative that intends to increase the number of Rhode Island residents, who experience homelessness, successfully maintain permanent housing. The PFS-PSH pilot explicitly seeks to house individuals who are high utilizers of health care, the justice system, and our homeless shelters, with a goal of diminishing statewide costs and improving the lives of those with exceptionally complex needs.
Led by the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness (RICEH) and the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), the PFS PSH pilot is Rhode Island’s first experience with social impact investing, an innovative model for financing social programs. The pilot program will span five years, ending in 2027. A capital investment to begin the program goes to high-quality service providers. The program is evaluated by a third party, and if its metrics have been met, state funds become available to repay the private investor. The FY22 state budget included a $6 million dollar provision to be spent repaying investors if and when the program meets benchmarks as determined by the evaluator.
Rhode Island’s PFS-PSH pilot will make 125 permanent supportive housing units available to individuals in the state over a period of five years. Permanent supportive housing is an evidence-based intervention that combines affordable housing assistance with voluntary supportive services to address the needs of chronically homeless individuals.
From 2020 To 2021 our state saw a 15% increase in the number of Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness.
The PFS-PSH pilot, coupled with a massive upcoming investment in affordable housing statewide, presents an unprecedented opportunity to address the state’s housing needs and make sustainable, meaningful change for Rhode Island’s most vulnerable residents.
Supportive Services
The Pay for Success Project is generously supported by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, US Department of Justice, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact Gretchen Bell at Gretchen@rihomeless.org
