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Subgroups
After a family with at least one child age 15 or younger had remained in an emergency homeless shelter for seven days, the evaluation team randomly assigned them to one of four possible intervention conditions. This review focuses on assignment to SUB versus CBRR. Although the evaluation team intended to randomly assign families to all intervention conditions with an equal probability, availability of slots, site-level implementation limitations, and unique eligibility requirements for families resulted in most families being randomly assigned to a restricted set of intervention conditions (474 of 2,282 families were randomly assigned across all four intervention options; most families—1,544—had three options available to them). This resulted in differing probabilities of assignment depending on which set of interventions was available to each family. Before random assignment, the evaluation team gathered informed consent, determined eligibility for available intervention slots, and conducted a baseline survey. Pairwise contrasts (in this review, SUB relative to CBRR) were only estimated on the sample of families who were eligible for both intervention conditions and randomized to one of them.
September 2010 to December 2014
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
The following characteristics applied to participants who were eligible for both the SUB and CBRR intervention conditions, and who were assigned to either: the average age of the head of household was about 30 at baseline, and 93 percent were female. About 40 percent were Black; 22 percent were Hispanic or Latino; 22 percent were White, not Hispanic; and 14 percent were another race or multiple races or ethnicities. One in four eligible families were headed by married parents, and all families had at least one child younger than 15 at baseline. Thirty-five percent of the baseline sample heads of household had no high school diploma or GED, and only 15 percent were employed at baseline.
State or local public housing agencies (PHAs), community-based nonprofit agencies, and city government agencies
Nearly all PHAs participating in the SUB intervention provided permanent housing assistance through housing choice vouchers (HCVs). The Section 8 HCV Program was enacted in 1974 as Section 8 of the United States Housing Act.
After spending at least seven days in an emergency homeless shelter, families with at least one child age 15 or younger were selected to receive SUB and housing search assistance. The SUB intervention provided permanent assistance with housing rental costs through state or local PHAs. As long as families remained eligible (for example, met low-income criteria and had no drug-related convictions) and compliant (for example, paid rent on time), they could continue to receive the housing subsidy indefinitely. Housing subsidies were typically provided as an HCV. Intervention participants could use the HCV to rent housing that met the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Housing Quality Standards, and that had a rent that was deemed reasonable based on rental costs for comparable homes in a given housing market. The local PHA set HCV amounts, and if rental costs exceeded this limit, families were required to pay 30 percent of their unadjusted monthly income toward rental costs. In addition to receiving a housing subsidy, intervention participants in a minority of sites (serving about 20 percent of SUB participants) were eligible to receive supportive services to help locate housing upfront. An even smaller percentage of SUB participants received assistance through the PHA to address topics such as learning how to maintain their home or resolve conflicts with landlords.
After spending at least seven days in an emergency homeless shelter, families with at least one child age 15 or younger were selected for the CBRR intervention. They received time-limited rental assistance and supportive services to help locate housing, as well as case management referrals to coordinate other support services. CBRR typically provided about 7 to 8 months of rental assistance to help families afford stable housing, but families could receive assistance for up to 18 months. CBRR programs were encouraged to provide rental assistance as rapidly as possible. As a result, these programs conducted recertification every three months to assess families' needs and ability to continue to meet HCV eligibility standards. Most CBRR participants (84 percent) received supportive services to assist with upfront costs (for example, security deposits or moving costs). CBRR programs also provided limited case management services that linked participants to supports for increasing self-sufficiency (for example, financial education or public benefits). Case managers also helped with the housing search and placement assistance.
None
Participants in the SUB intervention condition typically used SUBs for 31 months between random assignment and the 37-month follow-up survey.
PHAs received funding from the HCV Program, whereas CBRR programs typically received funding from the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program. Both programs are funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Family Options Study took place in 12 sites across the United States: Alameda County, CA; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Connecticut; Denver, CO; Honolulu, HI; Kansas City, MO; Louisville, KY; Minneapolis, MN; Phoenix, AZ; and Salt Lake City, UT. Eighteen PHAs provided SUBs and housing assistance across these 12 locations. CBRR providers were community-based nonprofit agencies in all but three locations, where city government agencies provided these services.
Program use, housing stability, family preservation, and adult well-being