Transitional housing provides a temporary place for the homeless to live for one to two or more years while they wait for a permanent home to become available, or shelter for homeless who are not yet able to live in permanent housing (for example, those with a severe substance abuse problem). Transitional housing is becoming less popular as focus shifts to moving homeless into permanent housing as soon as possible, but is often necessary in areas where vacancy rates in permanent housing are low. Services in transitional housing include education and job training and homeownership and employment counseling, which can be very successful.

In addition to shelter, supportive housing provides treatment for the mentally ill and substance abusers. Clients have access to in-house or off-site services such as medical and psychological care and substance abuse treatment. Supportive housing is crucial as about half of all homeless adults have problems with alcohol and one third with other drugs. In addition, between twenty and twenty-five percent also have a major mental illness .

Supportive housing can be very effective in facilitating treatment of mental illness and preventing emergency hospital visits.

To locate emergency shelter, transitional and supportive services please contact the 2-1-1 Information and Referral search.

To learn further information please visit the National Coalition for the Homeless at http://www.nationalhomeless.org/

Homeless Veteran in need of help? Call (877) 4AID VET or (877) 424-3838

The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) has founded a National Call Center for Homeless Veterans hotline to ensure that homeless Veterans or Veterans at-risk for homelessness have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors.

Veterans Resources please visit the National Veterans Resource directory at
http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/