Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

This paper will summarize the experimentally-based evidence from the Family Options Study of the effects of three assistance approaches on several aspects of child well-being, measured from up to two focal children selected from each family. For all focal children, parents reported on children’s school or child care enrollment, attendance, grades, grade completion, experiences, attitudes about, and behavior at school and child care. Parents also reported on pro-social behaviors, and emotional and behavioral problems of children along with children’s health, access to health care, and sleep disruptions (which are associated with a variety of emotional and behavioral disorders).  Additional outcomes were measured based on children’s developmental stage. Effects on family preservation will also be examined, including separation and reunification of family members over the follow-up period and foster care placements. The policy contrasts to be covered include comparison of priority offers of SUB, CBRR, and PBTH interventions to one another and to usual care to reach conclusions about the effectiveness of these interventions in promoting child well-being and family preservation for families experiencing homelessness.  Findings cover the crucial period from shortly after shelter entry to 20 months of follow up.