Supportive Housing in Rural Areas Shown to Be Cost Effective (May, 2009)
MaineHousing released findings from the first-ever statewide study of supportive housing in a rural setting, demonstrating that affordable housing with attached services is also effective outside of large metropolitan areas. The study found that rural supportive housing is less expensive than homelessness and provides people with a better quality of life. The 163 participants in the study came from all areas of the state, except Greater Portland. Researchers looked at actual cost records of service providers and individual service records to determine costs. The study was conducted by Melany Mondello of Shalom House; Jon Bradley of Preble Street; and Tom Chalmers McLaughlin, PhD. and Nancy Shore, PhD., both from the University of New England.
CSH provided funding for this study. To see the full report, click here.
Lead Article in Journal of the American Medical Association Describes Positive Impact of Supportive Housing (May 6, 2009)
The lead article of this issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) describes encouraging results for the Chicago Housing for Health Partnership (CHHP). Led by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, this 15 member coalition of housing, healthcare, and respite care providers designed an intervention that linked homeless adults with chronic medical illnesses to coordinated housing and case management, in an effort to reduce hospitalizations and emergency room visits. Laura S. Sadowski, M.D., M.P.H., of Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, and colleagues conducted a study in which participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or usual care. The intervention included transitional housing after hospitalization discharge, followed by placement in long-term housing. Case managers facilitated the participant’s housing placement and coordinated appropriate medical care, with substance abuse and mental health treatment referrals coordinated as needed. Usual care consisted of participants receiving standard discharge planning from hospital social workers.
According to the study, The findings of this randomized controlled trial demonstrate that a housing and case management program for chronically ill homeless adults reduced hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Outcomes included a 29 percent reduction in hospital days and a 24 percent reduction in emergency department visits. The study authors estimate that for every 100 adults offered the intervention over the course of a year benefits would include 49 fewer hospitalizations, 270 fewer hospital days, and 116 fewer emergency department visits. The authors conclude that These results provide a rationale and a blueprint for programs that address the needs of this vulnerable population.
Read the full text of the JAMA article.
Read the May 6th, 2009 Chicago Tribune article on the study
Four New Studies Document the Cost Effectiveness and Positive Outcomes of Supportive Housing
Four important evaluations were recently released that demonstrate the benefits of supportive housing to tenants as well as our health network and other public systems. These new studies from around the country – including Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, and Massachusetts – provide additional evidence that supportive housing can result in better health outcomes and reduce the reliance on more costly emergency, inpatient, and long-term care services. For more information about these studies, please see:
Special Research and Evaluation Edition of Homefront (April 3, 2009)
Summary of Studies: Medicaid / Health Services Utilization and Costs: (Updated April 2009)
Furman Center Study: Supportive Housing Bolsters Property Values
A new study, "The Impact of Supportive Housing on Surrounding Neighborhoods: Evidence from New York City", from New York University's Furman Center for Real Estate and Public Policy confirms supportive housing has a positive impact on neighborhoods and property values. While previous studies from New England and Philadelphia suggest a positive effect on property values, the Furman Center study is the most methodologically rigorous analysis to date examining supportive housing's impact on surrounding areas. Their findings are clear: supportive housing does not decrease property values and actually has a slightly positive effect on the value of adjacent properties. This positive effect grows over time as the market realizes how supportive housing has improved the landscape and contributed to the safety and security of the neighborhood.
Chicago Study of Supportive Housing
A new rigorous, four-year study in Chicago concludes that moving homeless individuals with chronic health conditions quickly into permanent supportive housing can improve housing stability and health outcomes and save taxpayer dollars. Early findings from the evaluation of the Chicago Housing for Health Partnership (CHHP) found that clients stayed in housing longer, used fewer nursing home days, and were significantly less likely to be hospitalized or use an emergency room as compared to study participants in usual care. Preliminary estimates have found that medical expenses for housed clients were at least $900,000 less than their usual care counterparts, after accounting for the cost of supportive housing. Findings from this study were highlighted in an article in the Wall Street Journal and more information regarding the Chicago Housing for Health Partnership Housing First Study can now be found at http://www.aidschicago.org/care/chhp.php
New Evidence on the Effectiveness of Housing First from Seattle
The City of Seattle released information from studies of two Housing First projects - 1811 Eastlake and Plymouth on Stewart. The two studies tracked a total of 100 chronically homeless individuals for one year prior and one year after entering housing. The studies estimated savings from the two projects of $3.2 million, primarily due to decreases in emergency room use, inpatient medical care, and detox services.
Papers from the 2007 HHS and HUD Homelessness Research Symposium
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have released "Toward Understanding Homelessness: The 2007 National Symposium on Homelessness Research," which includes twelve papers summarizing the latest findings from research on homelessness and subsequent implications for policy and practice. CSH staff co-authored two of these papers, specifically: "People Who Experience Long-Term Homelessness: Characteristics and Interventions" by Carol Caton, PhD, Carol Wilkins, MPP, and Jacquelyn Anderson, MPP and "Incarceration and Homelessness" by Stephen Metraux, PhD, Caterina Roman, PhD, and Richard Cho, MCP.
