Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

In 2017, approximately 28,200 people were estimated to be homeless across the nine counties of the Bay Area. Rapid re-housing, which involves providing housing stipends and case management supports for 3-24 months, has proven to be an effective, low-cost intervention for creating housing stability for this vulnerable population. Despite the successes of the Rapid re-housing model, homeless families in tight housing markets struggle to remain stable throughout their time in the program. Using data from Hamilton Families Heading Home initiative, this descriptive analysis examines characteristics of the housing search process associated with success or failure in eventual stability, including length of housing search, housing placement and access to resources. The results of this analysis inform city/state policy and homelessness provider practice on the most effective ways to structure rapid rehousing search in order to ensure participant success.