Study Details | Pathways to Work

101047.02-Study of Paid Transi

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition, suggesting the findings can be attributed to the program.

Program: Paid Transitional Housing

Characteristics of study participants:

Justice involvement

Services provided:

Case management, Housing supports and subsidies, Soft skills training

Setting: Urban only

Methods and Standards Protocol version used for review: Version 2.0

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Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

The study of Paid Transitional Housing involved 97 men released from prison between March 31, 2020 and May 31, 2020 and placed into transitional housing. Participants were recruited from a reentry center for men who were assessed as having a medium-to-high risk of recidivism and had to be within eight weeks of their scheduled release. The study used the last digits of inmate identification numbers to randomly assign individuals to the program or comparison condition. This study included 97 individuals in the post-stay-at-home order (SAHO) cohort, with 52 individuals assigned to the program group and 45 individuals assigned to the comparison group.

Time period of study:

For the post-SAHO cohort, the study ran from March 2020 to June 2022. Study enrollment for the post-SAHO cohort ran from March 2020 to May 2020. Study data collection following the release of participants occurred through June 2022, with outcomes measured over an average follow-up period of 18 months after release, ranging from 15 to 21 months.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term employment

Other outcome domains examined:

Recidivism

Study funded by:

The study did not describe study funding sources.

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Program group mean	Impact	Units	Findings	Sample size
Increase short-term employment	Employed at any time in follow-up period	Month 18	High	4.44	38.46	34.02	percentage points		97

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Means are not displayed when not reported or not aligned with the impact estimates. For example, if the impact estimate is regression-adjusted but only unadjusted means are reported in the study, the unadjusted means are not displayed as they are not aligned with the adjusted impact estimate.

Impact estimates are not shown when the estimate units cannot be converted to natural units.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the program. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the program, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the program produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample characteristics

Study participants were formerly incarcerated men at reentry centers for men who were assessed as having a medium-to-high risk of recidivism and were within eight weeks of their scheduled release. Based on baseline information for the full randomized sample (pre- and post-SAHO combined), the majority of participants were single (71 percent), and participants were an average of 39 years old. Forty percent of participants were White, 28 percent were Mexican American/National, and 24 percent were Black.

Age

Mean age

39 years

Sex

Male

100%

Race and ethnicity

Black or African American	24%
White	40%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	28%
American Indian or Alaska Native	8%
Another race	1%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

Specific employment barriers

Were involved with the justice system

100%

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

Certified transitional housing facilities; a nonprofit organization that facilitated rent payments; reentry centers for men

Program history:

The program was a pilot housing program that started about six months before the implementation of a statewide stay-at-home order on March 30, 2020.

Program services:

The Paid Transitional Housing pilot was a reentry housing program that fully covered rent at transitional housing facilities for a period of three months. The program aimed to improve housing stability, employment, and recidivism outcomes. All participants received existing transitional housing services at reentry centers focused on job readiness. Other voluntary services offered included classes on mental health, parenting, and financial management.

Mandatory services:

Soft skills training; Employment skills development

Comparison services:

The comparison group was placed in the same transitional housing through reentry centers but did not have their rent fully covered by the pilot program and paid rent costs out-of-pocket. Individuals in the comparison group were offered the same services in transitional housing as the program group.

Service receipt duration:

Paid Transitional Housing covered rent costs in transitional housing for up to three months.

Program funding:

A nonprofit organization made rent payments to transitional housing facilities directly on behalf of the treatment group participants. The study did not describe the source of funding for the rent payment subsidies.

Study publications

Simonds, Raven, Natasha B. Khade, and Jacob T. N. Young (2024). Does paid transitional housing impact reentry outcomes during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders? Evidence from a natural experiment within an RCT, International Journal of Housing Policy 24(2): 246-267. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/194912247.2022.2097852

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Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.

Study of Paid Transitional Housing (Post Stay-at-Home Order Cohort)