Leaving Shelter (for Good): The Effectiveness of Homelessness Interventions in Georgia

Abstract

Since 1987, billions of dollars in homeless assistance have been allocated annually by the U.S. federal government. Yet, few evaluations of homelessness interventions exist. This study analyzes the likelihood that households in Georgia returned to shelter within two years of leaving one of three interventions: rapid re-housing (RRH), transitional housing (TH), and emergency shelter (ES), with the latter serving as a reference. Using propensity scores, RRH households were matched to comparable TH and ES households. Generalized linear mixed modeling then controlled for household characteristics as well as variation between intervention implementations. Housing stability did not appear affected by whether study households were gradually transitioned or rapidly placed into housing. In addition, the effect of TH for households without children appears highly dependent on the intervention’s implementation, which deserves further study. These findings are generalizable to a subpopulation that is better resourced than the general homeless population.