Most housing specialists turn to city-owned housing when trying to help the homeless.

"We are in the process of expanding and improving coordination between the agencies involved and the housing specialists and the landlords," she said.

The city also promised as of July to hire 40 housing specialists.

The choice of many housing specialists is the mid-rise apartment house.

However, other housing specialists generally say that "market-rate" means housing for middle- and upper-income families.

Some housing specialists say, with some cynicism, that Ms. Wagner's inexperience is a plus.

In 1985, as part of its effort to combat homelessness, the state divided Massachusetts into 20 regions and placed a housing specialist in each.

Deborah Kroupa, a housing specialist with Acorn, disputed this.

She then worked on citywide housing issues as a housing specialist at the Parodneck Foundation.

Some housing specialists have also proposed that surplus government land be donated to groups willing to put up low-cost housing.