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Summary

PBTH was a housing initiative that gave families temporary, subsidized housing and case management, with the goal of helping them obtain permanent housing.

Eligible families had spent at least one week in an emergency homeless shelter, had at least one child age 15 or younger, and had sufficient income to pay their share of rent or had the ability to seek employment. They received subsidized housing in agency-controlled housing units, along with intensive case management. Families paid 30 percent of their unadjusted monthly income toward housing costs. Case management services provided by PBTH were mainly intended to help families find permanent housing but included financial management, help coordinating public benefits, and employment and training services. PBTH programs provided 6 to 24 months of housing assistance along with case management. The intervention took place in 12 locations in the United States: Alameda County, CA; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Connecticut; Denver, CO; Honolulu, HI; Kansas City, MO; Louisville, KY; Minneapolis, MN; Phoenix, AZ; and Salt Lake City, UT. The evaluation also examined PBTH as compared with a Permanent Housing Subsidy (SUB) and PBTH as compared with Community-Based Rapid Rehousing (CBRR).

Populations and employment barriers: Parents, Homelessness

Effectiveness rating and effect by outcome domain

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Outcome domain Term Effectiveness rating Effect in 2018 dollars and percentages Effect in standard deviations Sample size
Increase earnings Short-term No evidence to assess support
Long-term Little evidence to assess support favorable $1,862 per year 0.089 663
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Increase employment Short-term No evidence to assess support
Long-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable -1% (in percentage points) -0.023 663
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Decrease benefit receipt Short-term No evidence to assess support
Long-term Little evidence to assess support favorable $-14 per year -0.005 552
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Increase education and training All measurement periods No evidence to assess support

Studies of this intervention

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
High High 1

Implementation details

Cost information

The average cost per participant was $38,812 in 2018 dollars.

This figure is based on cost information reported by authors of the study or studies the Pathways Clearinghouse reviewed for this intervention. The Pathways Clearinghouse converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2018 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. Where there are multiple studies of an intervention rated high or moderate quality, the Pathways Clearinghouse computed the average of costs reported across those studies.

Cost information is not directly comparable across interventions due to differences in the categories of costs reported and the amount of time interventions lasted. Cost information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

Local context

Characteristics of research participants
Black or African American
41%
White, not Hispanic
19%
Unknown, not reported, or other
25%
Hispanic or Latino of any race
15%

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