Cobb County study finds shelters produce few permanent exits; recommends rapid rehousing and supportive housing investments

A county-commission work session presentation on May 27, 2025, summarized a yearlong system‑modeling review of Cobb County’s homeless services and recommended shifting funding toward rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing to boost exits to permanent housing.

The presenter for the modeling work, Melanie (Cobb Homeless Alliance), told the Board that “87% of the total volume moving through the system moves directly into emergency shelter, 1,537 households,” and that only about 13% of those shelter stays result in exits to permanent destinations. She said the review’s goal was “to better understand how the homeless service system is functioning, with the aim of more efficiently and more equitably serving the population in need.”

Why it matters: Commissioners were told that emergency shelter is essential but that the model shows shelters have low long‑term exit rates compared with rapid rehousing (RRH) and permanent supportive housing (PSH). Melanie said the modeling found “the best bank for our buck would be to invest in rapid rehousing programs and permanent supportive housing programs because these map onto much better percentages of exits to permanent destinations.” The presentation framed the shift as both more effective for clients and more cost‑efficient over time.

Key findings and numbers presented - 87% of people entering the homeless‑service system enter emergency shelter (presenter’s figure: 1,537 households). - About 13% of those leaving shelter move to permanent destinations, compared with substantially higher…