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Policies To Reduce And Prevent Homelessness: What We Know And Gaps In The Research

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  • William N. Evans
  • David C. Phillips
  • Krista Ruffini

Abstract

Homelessness may be both a cause of and one of the more extreme outcomes of poverty. Governments at all levels and private organizations have a variety of tools to combat homelessness, and these strategies have changed dramatically over the past quarter century. In this paper, we catalog the policy responses and the existing literature on the effectiveness of these strategies, focusing on studies of individual‐level effects from randomized controlled trial evaluations and the best quasi‐experimental designs. We conclude by discussing outstanding questions that can be addressed with these same methods.

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  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:40:y:2021:i:3:p:914-963
    DOI: 10.1002/pam.22283
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    2. Kühnle, Daniel & Johnson, Guy & Tseng, Yi-Ping, 2022. "Making It Home? Evidence on the Long-Run Impact of an Intensive Support Program for the Chronically Homeless on Housing, Employment and Health," IZA Discussion Papers 15678, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Kuehnle, Daniel & Johnson, Guy & Tseng, Yi-Ping, 2023. "JUE Insight: Making it home? Evidence on the long-run impact of an intensive support program for the chronically homeless on housing, employment and health," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    4. Deza, Monica & Maclean, Johanna Catherine & Solomon, Keisha, 2022. "Local access to mental healthcare and crime," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    5. Andrew Sullivan & Changwe Park, 2022. "Do Federal Grants for Medication-Assisted Opioid Treatment Reduce Homelessness?," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 703(1), pages 285-302, September.
    6. Lodermeier, Alison, 2024. "Credit access and housing insecurity: Evidence from winter utility shutoff protections," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).

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