Byrne Thomas, Montgomery Ann Elizabeth, Chapman Alec B, Pettey Warren, Effiong Atim, Suo Ying, Velasquez Tania, Nelson Richard E
Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Implementation Research, VA Bedford Healthcare System, United States; Boston University School of Social Work, United States; US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, Tampa, FL, United States.
US Department of Veterans Affairs, Birmingham VA Health Care System, United States; University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Public Health, United States.
Eval Program Plann. 2023 Apr;97:102223. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2022.102223. Epub 2022 Dec 26.
Homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing (RRH) programs are increasingly important components of the homeless assistance system in the United States. Yet, there are key gaps in knowledge about the dynamics of the utilization of these programs, with scant attention paid to examining the duration of homelessness prevention and RRH service episodes or to patterns of repeated use of these programs over time. To address these gaps, we use data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program-the largest program in the country providing homelessness prevention and RRH services-to assess the relationship between individual and program-level factors and exits to stable housing, length of service episodes, and patterns of repeated service use over time. We analyze data for a primary cohort of 570,798 of Veterans who received SSVF services during Fiscal Years (FY) 2012-2021, and for separate cohorts of Veterans who received SSVF prevention and RRH services, respectively, during FY 2016-2021. We find that participants' income, indicators of their health status, their use of other VA homeless programs, and rurality are consistent predictors of our outcomes. These findings have implications for how to allocate homelessness prevention and RRH resources in the most efficient manner to help households maintain or obtain stable housing.
预防无家可归和快速重新安置（RRH）计划在美国无家可归者援助系统中日益成为重要组成部分。然而，对于这些计划使用动态的了解存在关键差距，很少有人关注审查预防无家可归和RRH服务期的时长，或随着时间推移这些计划的重复使用模式。为解决这些差距，我们使用美国退伍军人事务部（VA）的退伍军人家庭支持服务（SSVF）计划的数据——该国提供预防无家可归和RRH服务的最大计划——来评估个人和计划层面因素与过渡到稳定住房、服务期长度以及随着时间推移重复服务使用模式之间的关系。我们分析了2012财年至2021财年期间接受SSVF服务的570,798名退伍军人的主要队列数据，以及2016财年至2021财年期间分别接受SSVF预防和RRH服务的退伍军人单独队列的数据。我们发现，参与者的收入、健康状况指标、他们对其他VA无家可归计划的使用以及农村地区情况是我们研究结果的一致预测因素。这些发现对于如何以最有效的方式分配预防无家可归和RRH资源以帮助家庭维持或获得稳定住房具有启示意义。
