Right at Home Targeted Homelessness Prevention Program

The County of San Mateo, through its Human Services Agency (HSA) Center on Homelessness (COH), is seeking qualified organizations to implement the Right at Home (RAH) Targeted Homelessness Prevention Program, an innovative national homelessness prevention initiative that will provide flexible financial assistance, housing-focused case management, and housing-related legal services to households at the highest risk of entering homelessness.

The program is anticipated to serve approximately 750 households over a three-year implementation period and will be implemented through a collaborative network of contracted partners.

In addition to delivering services, organizations funded through this RFP will participate in a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) led by the Wilson-Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame to evaluate the impact of the program. This will require actively participating in a national learning collaborative, including trainings, peer learning activities, and other implementation and continuous improvement efforts required by the Right at Home initiative.

COH, oversees a coordinated homeless crisis response system designed to help individuals and families who are at risk of homelessness or currently experiencing homelessness move toward stable housing. COH works countywide and collaborates with community-based organizations, public agencies, housing providers, and other stakeholders to strengthen the local homelessness response system.

COH has the unique opportunity to help shape the future of homelessness prevention work nationally. The County is one of only ten communities nationwide selected to participate in RAH , a national initiative designed to test and build evidence for targeted homelessness prevention strategies. Through this initiative, participating communities will design, implement, and rigorously evaluate prevention models that identify households at the highest risk of entering homelessness and rapidly provide the financial assistance and supportive services needed to stabilize their housing.

The RAH Targeted Homelessness Prevention Program is intended to complement, not replace, existing homelessness prevention resources currently available in San Mateo County. As one of the participating Right at Home communities, COH plans to launch a local RAH Targeted Homelessness Prevention Program in January 2027.

The program will align with the Right at Home model, including a “no wrong door” design and a “whatever it takes” approach to stabilizing households at high-risk of homelessness. The RAH model includes flexible financial assistance, supportive services that are offered but not required, data entry into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data system, and participation in the Randomized Control Trial led by the Wilson-Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO).