Homelessness, which is both an outcome and a cause of poverty, is on the rise across the country, particularly in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. There are now an estimated 500,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night, and over 1.4 million people who stay in a homeless shelter each year. The paper evaluates the policy responses that governments and non-profits use to reduce and prevent homelessness, focusing on solutions that have been evaluated using rigorous examinations of evidence, in particular randomized control trials, and quasi-experimental designs, rather than observational studies. The paper identifies gaps in the research and outlines a proposed research agenda to fill these gaps.
Policies to Reduce and Prevent Homelessness: What We Know and Gaps in the Research
Homelessness Policy Research Institute
Year: 2021