Unsheltered Homelessness, Shelter Attributes, and Housing Stability: Evidence from Policy, Practice, and Lived Experience

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Homelessness is a growing policy concern in the United States. The most recent Point-in-Time Count finds a spike in homelessness from 2023 to 2024, marking the eighth consecutive increase in the annual count of individuals experiencing homelessness. Moreover, the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness was, for the second year in a row, the highest number since the annual count began in 2007. Policymakers are grappling with how to both identify pathways to homelessness and solutions for preventing and ending homelessness. This panel brings together four projects that examine the intersection of public policy and risk of homelessness. 

The first paper, (Merola) studies encampment closures in Seattle, WA. Using a difference-in-differences approach with a matched comparison group, Merola finds that encampment closures do not seem to prevent future encampments at the same location and that the effects of closures on surrounding areas in terms of crime, calls for service, and foot traffic are largely null. 

The second paper (Pierce et al.), examines the mismatch between current shelter policies and attributes and the stated preferences of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the Bay Area of California. Using a discrete choice experiment to analyze the preferences, they find that policies related to privacy and personal freedom significantly influence decisions of whether to choose shelter over staying outside. 

The third paper, (Lowell et al.), investigates whether sales of multifamily properties increase the risk of homelessness and subsequent educational consequences among school-aged children in North Carolina. Early results using individual-fixed effects models show that students are nearly twice as likely to be identified as homeless by their school systems in the year during or immediately following a sale of their home to a new owner. 

The final paper (Weiss) presents findings from a Resident Steward pilot implemented across four shelter and supported housing sites in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in response to emerging SNAP and Medicaid participation requirements affecting residents, particularly Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs). Drawing on resident surveys, provider interviews, and a 6- to 8-week pilot, the study examined the feasibility of integrating supervised and self-directed training and participation activities into site operations. Findings indicate substantial resident interest, strong implementation feasibility, full completion of 80 activity hours among pilot participants, and additional successes including inpatient recovery and job acquisition. The paper suggests that on-site Resident Steward programming may provide a practical pathway for supporting benefits retention, participation, and stability

Policy Area

• Housing, Community Development, and Urban Policy

Chair

• David C Phillips, University of Notre Dame

Discussants

• Gary Dean Painter, University of Cincinnati

• Andrew Alfred Sullivan, University of Central Florida

Organizer

• Stephanie Casey Pierce, University of Tennessee (Knoxville)

Individual Presentations

• Streets to Shelter: Understanding Attribute-Based Decisions in Shelter - Presenting Author: Stephanie Casey Pierce, University of Tennessee (Knoxville)

• The Impact of Homeless Encampment Closures: Evidence from Seattle, WA - Presenting Author: Emily Merola, Princeton University

• Rental Property Sales as a Driver of Homelessness and Educational Hardship Among Public School Children - Presenting Author: Warren Robert Lowell, Vanderbilt University

• Benefits Retention, Coordinated Activities, and Stabilizing Supports for Shelter and Supported Housing Residents - Presenting Author: Amy Farah Weiss, Saint Francis Challenge