What is Supportive Housing?

Supportive housing combines affordable housing with voluntary support services to help people facing the greatest barriers to housing stability, such as financial constraints, limited access to application assistance, or poor credit history. Individuals who utilize supportive housing are not held to preconditions for receiving housing, such as sobriety, enrollment in mental health services, or proof of income. Supportive housing is backed by years of data and research and helps individuals live with autonomy and dignity. Individuals in supportive housing often have improvements in employment, mental and physical health, school attendance, and a reduction in substance use. Supportive housing typically has no time limit on residency, as the goal is to help individuals stay housed in ways that work best for them.

Services Provided in Supportive Housing

Supportive services are programs that help an individual find and maintain housing. There are many service types, such as case management, health care, substance use counseling, job training, employment support, and child support services. These services help solve barriers that keep individuals from finding and staying in housing. Beyond placing an individual in housing, there are many additional services that support an individual’s ability to stay housed, such as career counseling or access to services for individuals living with a disability.

One of the stipulations of supportive housing is to house an individual first, without contingencies. Safe and stable housing is a foundational need for people to build other skills and grow. For example, once an individual has stable housing, they can start to building key tenancy skills needed to maintain housing long-term. Tenancy skills might not be common knowledge to those who have never rented or have not rented recently. Tenant services, tools, and skills offered as part of supportive housing can help tenants with education on home maintenance and financial training to secure monthly housing income. Supportive services help individuals maintain stable homes by addressing underlying issues that can lead to housing instability, such as financial, medical, and behavioral challenges.

Who Does Supportive Housing Serve?

Supportive housing often serves individuals who face greater barriers to housing, such as a lack of income, a disability, long-term housing instability, or other challenges that may delay finding a home. Individuals living in supportive housing pay rent and are held to the same responsibilities and standards as anyone renting, but this is not contingent on meeting behavioral requirements.

One of the populations often prioritized is individuals who experience chronic homelessness, meaning 12 months or more of homelessness, or four episodes of homelessness in the last three years.  In 2024, 2,008 individuals in Montana were experiencing homelessness on any given night, of whom 451 were chronically homeless. The population experiencing chronic homelessness is often prioritized, as experiencing homelessness for extended periods of time can have a detrimental effect on an individual’s mental, physical, and emotional health. Due to many environmental factors, such as a lack of access to hygiene facilities, exposure to the elements, threats of violence, and poor nutrition, people who experience chronic homelessness also have a life expectancy 17 years shorter than that of individuals with stable housing. Individuals living without a home are unfairly burdened by underlying factors that can affect their health, and this deserves intervention from policymakers and advocates. The most effective and proven intervention for solving chronic homelessness is serving individuals experiencing chronic homelessness through supportive housing.

Another population that is often prioritized is individuals with disabilities. In 2025, more than a third (37%) of individuals receiving homeless services in Montana lived with one or more disabilities. Prioritizing housing security for individuals with disabilities is critical, given the added financial and logistical barriers of living with a disability. For example, adults with disabilities experience poverty at more than double the rate of adults without a disability due to factors like needing expensive medical care, special transport, or a lack of jobs offering accommodations. Unemployment rates are also higher among individuals with disabilities, and for those who do work, there are federal policies that allow a subminimum wage for individuals receiving disability benefits.

Support-centered housing also often functions by providing supportive housing services without requiring treatment as a precondition for housing. For example, someone with a substance use disorder would be allowed supportive housing services before having to seek treatment. People who experience housing insecurity are at a higher risk of also having a substance use disorder as a result of heightened stress and lack of access to resources. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, 108,035 individuals experiencing homelessness in 2023 were also experiencing chronic substance use, equating to 16.5 percent of the homeless population. Placement in supportive housing is associated with decreases in substance use disorder-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits. By prioritizing stable, affordable housing, individuals can improve their livelihoods and health.

Supportive Housing Improves Lives

Everyone in Montana deserves a safe, stable place to sleep. Not only is supportive housing an innovative and evidence-based solution to homelessness, but it also improves the well-being and quality of life of those who use it. State investments in supportive housing are needed to help reduce rates of homelessness in Montana and to help individuals find a safe place to sleep with dignity and autonomy.