Understanding First-Time Homelessness

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research has released three important studies on homelessness in the United States: examining the cost of first-time homelessness, life after transitional housing for homeless families, and strategies for improving access to mainstream benefits and services. Taken together, the findings of these studies have significant policy implications as HUD seeks to understand the most effective and efficient ways of addressing homelessness among individuals and families.

HUD's cost study is the most comprehensive research on the price tag associated with first-time homelessness and creates a foundation for comparing the costs of various homeless interventions. Costs Associated with First-Time Homelessness for Families and Individuals examines how much it costs to house and serve nearly 9,000 individuals and families in six areas of the country — Des Moines, Iowa; Houston, Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; Washington, DC; Houston, Texas; Kalamazoo, Michigan; and a large area of upstate South Carolina. Two additional studies have also been released: Strategies for Improving People's Access to Mainstream Benefits and Services and Life after Transitional Housing for Homeless Families.

The first study documents how seven different communities (Albany/Albany Co., NY; Albuquerque, NM; Metropolitan Denver; Miami-Dade Co., FL; Norfolk, VA; Portland, ME; and Pittsburgh/Allegheny Co., PA) mobilized to improve homeless people's access to mainstream benefits and services. The second study followed 195 families in transitional housing programs across five communities (Cleveland/Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Houston and Harris and Benton Counties, Texas; San Diego City and County, California; and Seattle/King County, Washington) for 3, 6, and 12 months after leaving the program in an effort to document the impacts of participation in a transitional housing program. The study looks at housing status, employment and education outcomes associated with the service-intensive transitional housing programs for families with children.