At an event hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), housing experts and researchers discussed takeaways from a recent BPC report titled “Homelessness, Housing Markets, and Federal Policy.”

Panelists at the May 21, 2026, gathering discussed community practices from three communities: Chattanooga, TN; Seattle, WA;  and Salt Lake City, UT. In each, local leaders explored options for addressing homelessness through both crisis response and prevention strategies with support at the federal policy level.

Throughout the BPC report, researchers highlight the need to identify what drives homelessness in an area, as well as the barriers to scaling eviction prevention tools. The report also identified the impact of public perception of visible homelessness on policy decisions and discussed the focus on response instead of on more cost-effective strategies for prevention.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “adults aged 50 and older are the fastest-growing age group of those experiencing homelessness, making up nearly half of the single-adult homeless population, which is estimated to triple over the next decade.”

The report is available here; LeadingAge will continue to advocate for robust federal investment in homelessness interventions.