What Works: 45 Years of Homelessness Prevention in Camden How the SCUCS Community-Based Model Achieved Scale and Sustainability
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Description
Shared housing remains an underused strategy in U.S. homelessness prevention, despite decades of local successes. This study offers the first published longitudinal case study of a 40+ year U.S. shared housing prevention program. Detailing the case study of Senior Citizens United Community Services (SCUCS), a nonprofit in Camden County, NJ, operating a shared housing prevention program since 1982. Using structured staff interviews, program document analysis, and secondary data triangulation, the analysis documents operational best practices, participant outcomes, and public cost savings. Critical features—including compatibility-based matching (90% threshold), low-barrier intake, "Scary Hours" trial periods, $500–700 monthly rents, income verification, and ongoing case management—have driven 350% growth among home providers (from 2 to 7 in 2024) and long-term stability for both homeowners and tenants (up to 15 years, including inheritances and chosen-family bonds). Replication requires multiyear funding (minimum 3-year cycles), local government partnerships (e.g., Camden County referrals), legal clarity (home-sharing vs. landlord-tenant), equity commitment (anti-bias training), and robust outreach (grassroots + digital). Policy recommendations highlight federal/state support to mainstream shared housing, reduce stigma, and leverage existing assets for upstream poverty prevention, yielding $16,282 annual public savings per person (Culhane et al., 2002)
Keywords: shared housing, homelessness prevention, community-based intervention, housing policy, poverty alleviation, Camden County, SCUCS.
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What Works- 45 Years of Homelessness Prevention in Camden.pdf
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Dates
- Copyrighted
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2025-11-05
References
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