Setting the context

Homelessness recently took on crisis proportions in Delaware when the population doubled from 2020 to 2022. Federal COVID-related assistance, such as emergency housing in otherwise unused hotels and motels, brought out people who had previously lived invisibly in encampments, cars, abusive situations, doubled up with others and otherwise precarious living arrangements. 

Even after the COVID assistance waned, over 1,350 people are still homeless in Delaware on a given night. This is a population that disproportionately impacts children, Black individuals and families. Additionally, the state saw a staggering 58% increase in the unsheltered homeless population between 2020 and 2024. The pandemic also highlighted homelessness in Delaware’s southern, more rural areas, where the number of people experiencing homelessness far outpaces the services there that can assist. 

Not even UD is insulated from the direct impacts of homelessness. Increasing numbers of students have struggled with housing instability and homelessness as housing costs in Newark have skyrocketed in recent years. 

“These are not problems that are at a distance. These are problems that are at our doorstep,” said Joseph Trainor, Biden School interim dean.

According to Metraux, all this has led to a situation where the COVID pandemic has revealed a larger, more urgent homeless problem in Delaware. In contrast, the state’s homeless services systems are still geared toward addressing homelessness as though it were 2019. 

“We need more,” Metraux said. “We need a response that is requisite to what we now know about the population.

Bringing the community together 

On Thursday, June 6, over 170 passionate individuals from across the region gathered in Newark for the Homelessness in Delaware: New Ideas and Directions Conference, hosted by CCRS and IPA.

The sold-out event, aimed at policymakers, service providers, advocates, those with lived experience and concerned community members, featured presentations of services and policy approaches that have been successful in other states and jurisdictions, innovative approaches already underway in the state and brainstorming opportunities for developing a more coordinated and deliberate approach to ending homelessness in Delaware.

The day’s agenda featured a keynote address from Jeff Olivet, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), and panel sessions featuring various specialists and changemakers directly and indirectly working in the field. By convening a diverse lineup of content experts to provide insights on successful and innovative response stories from their states and organizations, attendees were inspired and encouraged to ask questions, share ideas and collaborate on applying similar tactics in Delaware. Additionally, unique and innovative approaches already happening in Delaware were spotlighted to share their experiences and advice from a stateside perspective.

During his keynote address, Olivet wasted no time acknowledging the often difficult and thankless work done each day by the various individuals in attendance. 

“You are helping people exit homelessness every day,” he reminded the room.

What’s next?  

The conference raised the challenge of keeping momentum going. Homelessness in Delaware resonated with a broad and large set of stakeholders, and the next step is to keep them engaged in identifying priority areas within the homeless domain and incorporating these into a coordinated, statewide approach to addressing homelessness.

Organizers and stakeholders statewide are actively working on ideas presented at the conference related to data integration, the development of permanent supportive housing, cross-sectional stakeholder inclusion in statewide Continuum of Care (COC) Committees and efforts to expand Medicaid coverage to housing-related expenses. While much of the work still lies ahead, hopefully, as Metraux says, the conference has “laid the groundwork for developing responses that are aligned with what we have learned about the realities of homelessness in the wake of the pandemic.”

About the Center for Community Research and Service

The University of Delaware’s Center for Community Research and Service (CCRS) works to create more just and equitable communities and enhance the wellbeing of underserved populations in Delaware and beyond. Through its work as a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, CCRS engages with communities and the health and social service systems, thereby contributing to identifying solutions and improving policy. It strengthens its partners' ability to improve their communities' wellbeing and builds and supports community leaders and researchers through professional development.

About the Institute for Public Administration

The University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA) addresses the policy, planning and management needs of its partners through the integration of applied research, professional development and the education of tomorrow’s leaders. As a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, IPA collaborates with state agencies, municipal governments, nonprofits, communities and businesses to examine complex policy issues and improve quality of life in Delaware and beyond.

About the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration

Established in 1961 and named in 2018 for the University of Delaware’s most distinguished alumnus, the 46th President of the United States, the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration prepares students with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in research and public service to improve the quality of life in communities around the world. Biden School faculty, staff, students and alumni create and use interdisciplinary, nonpartisan research, and empirically based analysis to inform effective decision-making and policy and to improve leadership and administration. The Biden School partners with organizations from all sectors to discover innovative and equitable solutions to the critical challenges of our time.

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