Upstream

Stop homelessness before it starts

Prevention is the first stage of the pathway. Keeping someone housed is faster, cheaper, and more humane than rehousing them after they lose their home.

Prevention Programs

Four ways to keep people housed

Rental Assistance

Short-term help with rent and arrears for households facing a temporary crisis, paired with budgeting and stabilization support.

Eviction Diversion

Legal aid, mediation, and negotiated settlements that resolve disputes before an eviction is filed or finalized — keeping the household housed and avoiding an eviction record.

Landlord Mediation

Neutral mediation between tenants and landlords to repair relationships, address maintenance, and reach payment plans that preserve tenancy.

Early Intervention

Outreach and screening that identifies households at risk before crisis hits, connecting them to resources at the first warning sign.

Why It Matters

Prevention is the most effective stage

Every household prevented from entering homelessness avoids the trauma, cost, and time of the full pathway downstream.

Prevention does not guarantee every household can be saved — but it is the highest-leverage investment a community can make in its housing-response system.

The full pathway, connected

Prevention feeds the pathway. When prevention isn't enough, the microshelter bridge is there — and permanent housing is the destination.