ULI Homeless to Housed Case Study: The City of New Orleans Shelter and Engagement Center

Case Study Summary: The City of New Orleans Shelter and Engagement Center is a low-barrier, congregate, 24-hour shelter facility, providing significant wraparound services to homeless individuals including housing placement and other services through partnerships with other agencies and nonprofit providers. The shelter is supported by a diverse partnership of local, state, and federal public and private organizations. To date, 962 guests have been sheltered and 488 have been successfully housed, with only 26 guests who were successfully housed from the shelter having to return to the shelter because of reentering homelessness. The Low-Barrier Shelter supports adults who are chronically homeless, most with a mental illness and some with co-occurring physical health conditions or chronic diseases as well as adults with a substance abuse disorder.