Long-Term Effects of Housing Vouchers on Families Experiencing Homelessness: Family Options Study 12-Year Followup Findings

• In Event: Long-term Effects of Housing Vouchers: Findings from the Family Options Study 12-Year Followup

Abstract

The Family Options Study used an experimental research design to develop evidence about the relative effects of alternative housing and services interventions for families who experience homelessness. A total of 2,282 families with children enrolled in the study from 2010 to 2012. Families had to have spent at least 7 days in emergency shelter and included at least one child aged 15 or younger. Families were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: offering priority access to three interventions—a long-term rent subsidy (SUB, primarily housing choice vouchers), a short-term rent subsidy (CBRR), and project-based transitional housing (PBTH)—or to the usual care available to families experiencing homelessness (UC).

At 1.5 and 3-year followup surveys, the study previously found that SUB resulted in notable improvements in housing stability and radiating effects on other aspects of family and child well-being. As of the 3-year followup, there was a general lack of detectable impacts for CBRR and PBTH as of 3 years (only a scattered few statistically significant effects and these small in magnitude). Thus, the study team did not expect impacts of those interventions to emerge over a longer period.

For the 12-year followup, the focus of impact analyses is comparing the effects of offering priority access to a long-term rent subsidy (SUB, primarily housing choice vouchers) to a combined comparison condition of assignment to offering priority access to a short-term rent subsidy (CBRR) or project-based transitional housing (PBTH) or to the usual care available to families experiencing homelessness (UC), following the pre-registered study analysis plan (Brown et al., 2024). The study’s confirmatory (primary) outcome is experiences of homelessness or doubling up within the past 6 months. Other outcomes include housing stability, family preservation, economic well-being, adult well-being, minor child well-being, and well-being for children in study families that have now aged into adulthood (adult children). Impact findings will be presented in context from findings from the 3-year followup study to help audiences understand the extent to which 12-year outcomes for each group were similar to or differed from prior findings. Understanding the extent to which priority access to a long-term rent subsidy has enduring effects on families and children or whether impacts fade over time is important for informing how to address family homelessness.

Author

• Scott Brown, Abt Global
  Presenting Author