As we close the first quarter of our fiscal year 2026, major changes in federal homelessness funding are creating uncertainty for organizations throughout our sector. These changes are affecting our planning for next year and beyond, requiring us to adapt our strategy to ensure we can continue serving our neighbors who need us most.

As leaders in the movement to end homelessness, we have a moral and practical responsibility to follow approaches that are backed by research while honoring human dignity and delivering real results. The genesis for this article stems from two events that happened last week: A conversation about why programs use the Housing First model, and the publication of an excellent article by Simon Dwight (2024) in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The data is clear: Housing First works, and relationships make it last.