The Paid Transitional Housing pilot was a reentry housing intervention that fully covered rent at transitional housing facilities for a period of 3 months, targeting male adults who were entering re-entry centers 8 weeks from their release date and at higher recidivism risk. The program aimed to improve housing stability, employment, and recidivism outcomes. All participants received existing transitional housing services at re-entry centers focused on job readiness. Other voluntary services offered included classes on mental health, parenting, and financial management.
Eligible participants were males being released from an Arizona prison who were assessed as having moderate or high risk of recidivism and indicated as having a need for transitional housing. The study was conducted at one re-entry center in Phoenix, AZ.
The comparison group was individuals entering the same re-entry center who did not receive payments for transitional housing and covered the costs out-of-pocket.
Study participants were enrolled between September 2019 and March 2020 with a follow-up period through May 2020.
The program tested in the study paid for three months of transitional housing; study participants in the comparison group paid for transitional housing out-of-pocket. All participants received standard transitional housing services, including employment readiness services and offer of voluntary classes on mental health, parenting, and financial education.
No measures of program fidelity were indicated in the study.
The funding source for the housing payments was not described in the study.
The program was implemented at a re-entry center in Phoenix, AZ.
One re-entry transitional housing provider in Phoenix, AZ implemented the program.
No partners for implementing the program were identified.
Paid Transitional Housing served men being released from prison who were at moderate to high risk of recidivism and entering a transitional housing re-entry program. Participants represented multiple racial and ethnic groups (40 percent White, 28 percent Mexican American or Mexican National, 24 percent Black), were mostly single (71 percent), and on average, about 39 years old.
The program provided three months of payments for transitional housing costs.