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The impact of permanent supportive housing on homeless populations

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  • Corinth, Kevin

Abstract

Between 2007 and 2014 in the United States, national counts of the homeless population decreased as permanent supportive housing (PSH) for the homeless increased. Using a panel dataset from all communities across the country during this period, I investigate the effect of PSH on homeless population sizes. I first estimate the association between PSH beds and homeless counts, controlling for all time-invariant community-level factors, several time-varying community-level factors, and in some specifications, all time-varying state-level factors. One additional PSH bed is associated with between 0.04 and 0.12 fewer homeless people. Second, I estimate causal effects using federal funds allocated to communities for homeless assistance as instruments; funding decisions are based on information that precedes any current shocks to homeless populations. Adding one PSH bed reduces the homeless count by up to 0.10 people, and I can reject a reduction of more than 0.72 people at the 95% confidence level. Finally, I discuss several possible explanations for the relatively modest impact, including poor targeting, differential exit rates into private housing from PSH relative to homelessness, incentives for remaining homeless, errors in homeless counts, and migration in response to expanded PSH.

Suggested Citation

  • Corinth, Kevin, 2017. "The impact of permanent supportive housing on homeless populations," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 69-84.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhouse:v:35:y:2017:i:c:p:69-84
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhe.2017.01.006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John M. Quigley & Steven Raphael & Eugene Smolensky, 2001. "Homeless In America, Homeless In California," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(1), pages 37-51, February.
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    9. O'Flaherty, Brendan & Wu, Ting, 2006. "Fewer subsidized exits and a recession: How New York City's family homeless shelter population became immense," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 99-125, June.
    10. Kevin C. Corinth, 2015. "Street homelessness: A disappearing act?," AEI Economic Perspectives, American Enterprise Institute, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Christian A. L. Hilber & Olivier Schoni, 2022. "Housing policy and affordable housing," CEP Occasional Papers 56, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    2. Nicholas Chiumenti, 2019. "The growing shortage of affordable housing for the extremely low income in Massachusetts," New England Public Policy Center Policy Reports 19-1, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    3. Locks, Gedeão & Thuilliez, Josselin, 2023. "The impact of minimum income on homelessness: Evidence from France," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    4. William N. Evans & David C. Philips & Krista J. Ruffini, 2019. "Reducing and Preventing Homelessness: A Review of the Evidence and Charting a Research Agenda," NBER Working Papers 26232, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. O'Flaherty, Brendan, 2023. "Aggregate-level inferences from individual-level data: The case of permanent supportive housing and housing first," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(PA).
    6. William N. Evans & David C. Phillips & Krista Ruffini, 2021. "Policies To Reduce And Prevent Homelessness: What We Know And Gaps In The Research," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(3), pages 914-963, June.
    7. Corinth, Kevin & Lucas, David S., 2018. "When warm and cold don’t mix: The implications of climate for the determinants of homelessness," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 45-56.
    8. Nicholas Chiumenti, 2018. "The supply of permanent supportive housing in Massachusetts: comparing availability to the chronic homeless population," New England Public Policy Center Policy Reports 18-2, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    9. Kevin Corinth & Grace Finley, 2020. "The geography of unsheltered homelessness in the city: Evidence from “311” calls in New York," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(4), pages 628-652, September.
    10. Saerim Kim & Andrew A Sullivan, 2021. "Complementary policies for multidimensional problems: Does the low-income housing tax credit complement homeless services in the USA?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(5), pages 903-921, April.
    11. Ivis García & Keuntae Kim, 2020. "“ I Felt Safe ”: The Role of the Rapid Rehousing Program in Supporting the Security of Families Experiencing Homelessness in Salt Lake County, Utah," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-15, July.
    12. Sara Nourazari & Kristina Lovato & Suzie S. Weng, 2021. "Making the Case for Proactive Strategies to Alleviate Homelessness: A Systems Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-12, January.
    13. Elior Cohen, 2022. "The Effect of Housing First Programs on Future Homelessness and Socioeconomic Outcomes," Research Working Paper RWP 2022-03, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
    14. David S. Lucas, 2017. "The Impact of Federal Homelessness Funding on Homelessness," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 84(2), pages 548-576, October.
    15. O'Flaherty, Brendan, 2019. "Homelessness research: A guide for economists (and friends)," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 1-25.
    16. David C. Phillips, 2020. "Measuring Housing Stability With Consumer Reference Data," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(4), pages 1323-1344, August.
    17. Mounah Abdel-Samad & Jerel P. Calzo & Jennifer K. Felner & Lianne Urada & Matthew E. Verbyla & Hala Madanat & Brian E. Adams & Thais Alves & Bruce Appleyard & Joshua Chanin & Shawn Flanigan & Hisham F, 2021. "Conceptualizing an Interdisciplinary Collective Impact Approach to Examine and Intervene in the Chronic Cycle of Homelessness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-17, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Homelessness; Permanent supportive housing; Homeless shelters;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs

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