However, few  of the properties that HUD has determined to be suitable and were  available for homeless assistance since the program’s inception received  applications from homeless assistance service providers. In most cases,  properties screened and determined as suitable and available may not  have actually been practical for homeless service providers to use. For  example, our analysis of HUD’s annual reports from 2008 through 2013  found most of the properties published as suitable and available were for  off-site use only—meaning that a provider would need to physically move  the property in order to use it. Homeless Assistance Providers Currently Use 81 Title V Properties for a Range of Services across the Country

The Title V homeless assistance program has provided properties with  useful facilities. As of March 2014, of the 122 properties transferred since  the program’s inception in 1987, 81 properties are currently in use by  providers. 3). HUD officials told us that they would prefer that agencies not be required  to report certain types of properties at all because they may not be useful  to assist the homeless. Requiring agencies to report all properties that fall  within the four broad categories—excess, surplus, underutilized, and  unutilized—may not be effective for certain types of properties. Excluding certain types of  properties such as “off-site use only properties” could enable HUD  officials to focus on the suitable and available properties that may be  more likely to assist the homeless and could help address issues of  landholding agencies not reporting certain properties. Homeless Assistance Providers Expanded Services, but Some Reported Encountering Challenges in Identifying, Applying for, and Using Real Property

Of the 11 homeless assistance providers we interviewed, the eight case  study providers that acquired property cited benefits from the Title V  program, such as expanding services and obtaining real property at no  cost. For example, although  HUD reports properties in the Federal Register multiple times a year, and  USICH provides links to them on its website, many homeless assistance  providers may be unaware of the availability of properties. Further, HUD’s Federal Register reports list  many of the same properties more than once. This may make listings  even less user-friendly to providers. Homeless assistance providers and  advocates we interviewed identified a number of actions that could  address these challenges. Nonetheless, according to national homeless advocates, many  providers remain unaware of the availability of properties. In the past, some in Congress and the executive branch have  expressed concern about reporting requirements; the basic concern has  been that some requirements result in reports that may be unnecessarily  burdensome to produce or, in some instances, not very useful. While HUD lists information on  the properties it evaluates in the Federal Register multiple times each  year, as required by law, many of the listings are duplicative, and many  service providers are not even aware of the Title V homeless assistance  program. Matter for Congressional Consideration

To ensure that properties determined as suitable and available are more  likely to be practical for homeless assistance and that Federal Register  reporting is not redundant, Congress should revisit the scope of  properties to be reported to HUD with respect to the types of properties  that may be less likely to be useful to assist the homeless and the  frequency of Federal Register reporting. However, the  McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended, required GSA,  HHS, and HUD to promulgate implementing regulations. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

To determine what is known about the identification and transfer of  federal real properties for homeless assistance under Title V, we  reviewed the requirements of Title V of the Act as they apply to the  General Services Administration (GSA), the Department of Health and  Human Services (HHS), the Department of Housing and Urban  Development (HUD), and the United States Interagency Council on  Homelessness (USICH). To determine the benefits and challenges selected homeless assistance  providers and national advocacy organizations reported in identifying,  acquiring and using federal real property, and the potential actions that  could help address those challenges, we selected eight homeless  assistance organizations that acquired federal real property under the  program.
Why GAO Did This Study

Title V of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act enacted in 1987 created a program to assist the homeless, in part, by identifying unused federal real property and making it available to homeless assistance providers.
GAO was asked to review the implementation of Title V of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. This report examines: (1) the identification and transfer of federal real property to homeless assistance providers and (2) the benefits and challenges homeless assistance providers and national advocacy organizations reported in identifying, acquiring, and using federal real property, and the potential actions that could help to address these challenges. GAO obtained information and data from HUD and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the properties reported since the program's inception and interviewed officials from GSA, HHS, and HUD. GAO also obtained views on the program from officials at (1) nine federal agencies, representing a range of size in their real property portfolios; (2) eleven homeless assistance providers (including eight that received property), representing a range of locations, size of property, and services provided; and (3) national homeless-advocacy organizations.

What GAO Found

Since inception in 1987, the nationwide Title V homeless-assistance program has transferred 122 properties from federal agencies to homeless assistance providers. Of these properties, 81 are currently being used to provide a range of homeless assistance services nationwide. Such services include transitional housing, referral services, and emergency shelter. However, few of the properties that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has listed as suitable and available since the program's inception received applications from homeless assistance providers. In most cases, the properties may not have actually been practical for homeless service providers to use. For example, in 2013 about 80 percent of these properties were for off-site use only—meaning that a provider would need to physically move the property in order to use it. HUD officials told us that they would prefer that agencies not be required to report certain types of properties at all, such as those for off-site use only. The current statutory requirement for agencies to report all properties that fall within four broad categories—excess, surplus, underutilized, and unutilized—may not be effective for certain types of properties. Such exclusion could allow HUD officials to focus on the suitable and available properties that may be more likely to assist the homeless.
Of the 11 homeless assistance providers we interviewed, the eight case study providers that acquired property cited benefits from the Title V homeless assistance program, such as expanding services and obtaining real property at no cost. These benefits notwithstanding, the providers identified challenges, such as identifying available properties. These findings are consistent with reports from national homeless advocacy organizations. HUD reports properties in the Federal Register multiple times a year as required. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), which plays a coordination role, provides a link on its website to the HUD reports. Nonetheless, according to national homeless advocates, many homeless assistance providers remain unaware of the availability of properties because the Federal Register is not user-friendly. Further, HUD lists many of the same properties more than once in the Federal Register , as required, even though they may not be useful to homeless assistance providers. In the past, some in Congress and the executive branch have raised issues about reporting requirements; the basic issue has been that some requirements result in reports that may be burdensome to produce, or not very useful. Modifying reporting requirements to reduce the frequency of reporting related to properties that are less likely to be useful to homeless providers could help, while also allowing HUD to continue to fulfill its responsibilities.

What GAO Recommends

Congress should consider changing (1) the scope of properties to be reported to HUD with respect to the types of properties that may be less likely to be useful to assist the homeless and (2) the frequency of Federal Register reporting.