Research Shows That Rapid Re-Housing Improves Lives and Reduces Costs

The Urban Institute recently released a literature review highlighting rapid re-housing (RRH) as an effective and cost-efficient way to reduce children’s homelessness. The literature review, which incorporates Enterprise board member Megan Sandel’s research on the negative health effects of homelessness on children, shows that intervening on familial homelessness lowers short-term costs for municipalities while improving long-term outcomes for the families themselves. Families with access to RRH exited shelters on average two weeks sooner than those who were expected to stabilize their living situations with limited support. At the same time, the net cost of services for the families receiving RRH was actually $4,000 lower than for those who did not. This research reinforces the idea that smart investments in homelessness remediation programs are good policy, with tangible benefits for at-risk individuals as well as the communities in which they live.