San Francisco Bay Area, CA (Aug. 24, 2026) — About 55,000 Bay Area residents across six jurisdictions applied for financial assistance to help them avoid homelessness, according to a new report from the nonpartisan California Policy Lab. The regional homelessness prevention model was developed by two nonprofits, All Home and Bay Area Community Services, and their partners. The model is designed to identify and provide financial assistance to households at the highest risk of homelessness.
“Prevention is key to ending homelessness, but to be most effective, we must target our resources toward people at the highest risk,” explains Irene Farnsworth, Director of Regional Homelessness at All Home. “This research helps us understand how effectively we’re reaching people with the greatest needs before they experience homelessness—and where we can continue to improve our systems to have the greatest impact.”
The homelessness prevention model was launched in May 2021, and operated in six jurisdictions during the study period: the City of Oakland, and San Francisco, Contra Costa, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties. Jurisdictions currently operate the model under the names Keep People Housed and the San Francisco Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
As of July 2025, about 55,000 people had applied and met three eligibility requirements focused on income, geography, and having a recent hardship. The new report is part of a broader evaluation the California Policy Lab is conducting to assess the program’s effectiveness in preventing homelessness.
Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements are asked a set of questions to assess their likelihood of future homelessness. Those who score above a certain threshold are “prioritized” to receive services, though the threshold varies by locality. Every locality provides back rent for households who have fallen behind on rent payments, and some also offer other financial assistance such as utility assistance, move-in assistance, limited amounts of forward rent, or flexible funds for expenses like gas or car repairs. Most of the programs also provide other services such as benefit navigation, housing search assistance, and budgeting help. Because previous homelessness is a risk factor for future homelessness, applicants who report that they have experienced homelessness in the last two years are automatically prioritized regardless of their score.
“Our analysis shows that applicants are very vulnerable, and about eight in ten applicants have extremely low incomes,” explained co-author Zoe Klingmann, Data Analyst at the California Policy Lab. “About one in five have experienced homelessness in the two years prior to applying for services, and more than half of applicants are spending 50% or more of their income on housing costs.”
Key findings
- Of the submitted applications, 61% were marked as prioritized, meaning they received a risk score above a threshold or had experienced homelessness in the last two years.
- Black applicants, Transition-Aged Youth (TAY) aged 18–24, and families with children are more likely to meet the criteria to be prioritized for prevention services. These groups are more likely to have experienced homelessness recently or to score higher on the risk screener that the programs use to identify households at highest risk of homelessness.
- While 80% of applicants had extremely low incomes, there were some differences between applicants and the general population of low-income and high-rent-burden households in the Bay Area. Applicants are more likely to identify as Black and to be working-age adults 25–60. Many factors could explain this finding, including heightened risk among these groups or barriers to applying for the groups that are underrepresented. The study data cannot pinpoint the exact reasons for these differences.
The report, and a shorter policy brief version, are available on the California Policy Lab’s website, as well as All Home’s website.
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The California Policy Lab generates research insights for government impact. Through hands-on partnerships with government agencies, CPL performs rigorous research across issue silos and builds the data infrastructure necessary to improve programs and policies that millions of Californians rely on every day.
All Home advances regional solutions that disrupt the cycles of poverty and homelessness, redress racial disparities, and create more economic mobility opportunities for people with extremely low incomes. All Home works across counties, sectors, and silos to advance coordinated, innovative solutions and build a movement to challenge the status quo that perpetuates homelessness.