Home Safe

The Home Safe program is a statewide effort to prevent and end homelessness among older adults and adults with disabilities served through Adult Protective Services (APS). Administered by the California Department of Social Services and implemented by county APS agencies, Home Safe provides flexible, short-term assistance to stabilize housing and respond to housing crises.

In 2019, UCSF and CDSS conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of the Home Safe Pilot Program and found evidence that Home Safe successfully stabilized many APS clients who were at risk of, or experiencing homelessness. Building on the findings of the pilot evaluation, CDSS engaged UCSF to evaluate the full-scale implementation of Home Safe between 2022-2025.

Key Findings

• Home Safe filled a critical unmet need in local homelessness response systems by enabling APS staff to meet the housing needs of older and dependent adults.
• The most common interventions included enhanced case management, rent payment, and housing navigation.
• Flexible funding was key to the program’s success, enabling staff to respond quickly and tailor interventions to participant needs.
• Among participants for whom we have housing data, most (93.9%) who were housed at program entry remained housed at exit; more than half (58.4%) homeless at program entry were housed at exit.
• Home Safe preserved naturally occurring affordable housing by interrupting evictions from rent-controlled units.
• Home Safe had lasting positive impacts on California’s social support infrastructure by breaking down silos between APS and homelessness services staff.
• For most populations, staff did not report specific barriers to accessing Home Safe. However, they identified barriers for rural populations, including spotty cell service and transportation issues. Fear, and stigma limited reach in Latine and undocumented communities.
• Program leaders expressed concern that their investment in staff training and program-building would be lost if program funding ended.
• The high cost and low availability of housing limited the program’s effectiveness.

Recommendations

• Provide sustained funding and technical support to ensure continuity of Home Safe services and preserve program capacity.
• Maintain flexible funding structures to allow counties to tailor programs to their needs and meet diverse participant needs.
• Leverage CalAim reimbursement to expand reach and better support Home Safe participants with complex needs.
• Use Home Safe provider experience to train and guide other organizations.
• Reduce fear and stigma around APS and Home Safe, through educational campaigns that reduce barriers to engagement.
• Partner with trusted community groups to reach eligible populations that Home Safe is not serving.
• Increase the supply and affordability of housing accessible to low-income older adults and people with disabilities.
   

Read the full report for detailed findings and methods.