title: Homelessness prevention in New York City: On average, it works.
abstract: This study evaluates the community impact of the first four years of Homebase, a homelessness prevention program in New York City. Family shelter entries decreased on average in the neighborhoods in which Homebase was operating. Homebase effects appear to be heterogeneous, and so different kinds of averages imply different-sized effects. The (geometric) average decrease in shelter entries was about 5% when census tracts are weighted equally, and 11% when community districts (which are much larger) are weighted equally. This study also examines the effect of foreclosures. Foreclosures are associated with more shelter entries in neighborhoods that usually do not send large numbers of families to the shelter system.
authors.affiliation: Division of Research and Statistics, Federal Reserve Board of Governors, 20th and C St NW, Washington, DC 20551, United States.
authors.forename: Sarena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St., New York, NY 10032, United States.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Messeri
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Columbia University, Mail code 3308, 420 W. 118th St., New York, NY 10027, United States.
authors.forename: Brendan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Flaherty
keywords: Family homelessness; Homelessness prevention; New York City; Quasi-experimental; Shelter entries; Theory of prevention evaluation