HUD Family Options Study
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
Version: View help for Version V1
| Name | File Type | Size | Last Modified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Options Study | 02/11/2025 01:29:PM |
Project Citation:
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD Family Options Study. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-02-11. https://doi.org/10.3886/E219081V1
Project Description
Project Title:
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HUD Family Options Study
Summary:
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The Family Options Study is a multi-site random assignment experiment designed to study the impact of various housing and services interventions for homeless families. HUD launched the Family Options Study in 2008 in response to Congressional direction and with the goal of learning more about the effects of different housing and services interventions for homeless families.
Between September 2010 and January 2012, a total of 2,282 families (including over 5,000 children) were enrolled into the study from emergency shelters across twelve communities nationwide and were randomly assigned to one of four interventions: 1) subsidy-only – defined as a permanent housing subsidy with no supportive services attached, typically delivered in the form of a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); 2) project-based transitional housing – defined as temporary housing for up to 24 months with an intensive package of supportive services offered on-site; 3) community-based rapid re-housing – defined as temporary rental assistance, potentially renewable for up to 18 months with limited, housing-focused services; or 4) usual care – defined as any housing or services that a family accesses in the absence of immediate referral to the other interventions.
Families were followed for three years following random assignment, with extensive surveys of families conducted at baseline and again approximately 20 and 37 months after random assignment. In addition to collecting data about the well-being of families and children at different points in time following random assignment, extensive cost data on each of the interventions studied was also collected, in order to calculate the fiscal costs of achieving the outcomes that were documented. While the primary outcome of interest is housing stability, and, in particular, preventing families from returning to homelessness, additional outcomes of interest include family preservation, adult well-being, child well-being, and self-sufficiency.
The Family Options Study is an important research effort that has yielded significant results to date. At both the 20-month and 37-month points of observation, significant positive impacts were observed in both the adults and the children of the families offered a voucher, and these impacts extended beyond housing stability. Families in the subsidy-only group experienced significant reductions in family separations, substance use, exposure to intimate partner violence, and psychological distress. Children had fewer school moves, were absent less and had fewer behavior problems, and families were more food secure. Based on these finding, HUD is currently preparing to launch a 12-Year Followup effort, through which HUD hopes to gather updated information about the well-being of the original study families.
Between September 2010 and January 2012, a total of 2,282 families (including over 5,000 children) were enrolled into the study from emergency shelters across twelve communities nationwide and were randomly assigned to one of four interventions: 1) subsidy-only – defined as a permanent housing subsidy with no supportive services attached, typically delivered in the form of a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); 2) project-based transitional housing – defined as temporary housing for up to 24 months with an intensive package of supportive services offered on-site; 3) community-based rapid re-housing – defined as temporary rental assistance, potentially renewable for up to 18 months with limited, housing-focused services; or 4) usual care – defined as any housing or services that a family accesses in the absence of immediate referral to the other interventions.
Families were followed for three years following random assignment, with extensive surveys of families conducted at baseline and again approximately 20 and 37 months after random assignment. In addition to collecting data about the well-being of families and children at different points in time following random assignment, extensive cost data on each of the interventions studied was also collected, in order to calculate the fiscal costs of achieving the outcomes that were documented. While the primary outcome of interest is housing stability, and, in particular, preventing families from returning to homelessness, additional outcomes of interest include family preservation, adult well-being, child well-being, and self-sufficiency.
The Family Options Study is an important research effort that has yielded significant results to date. At both the 20-month and 37-month points of observation, significant positive impacts were observed in both the adults and the children of the families offered a voucher, and these impacts extended beyond housing stability. Families in the subsidy-only group experienced significant reductions in family separations, substance use, exposure to intimate partner violence, and psychological distress. Children had fewer school moves, were absent less and had fewer behavior problems, and families were more food secure. Based on these finding, HUD is currently preparing to launch a 12-Year Followup effort, through which HUD hopes to gather updated information about the well-being of the original study families.
Original Distribution URL:
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https://www.huduser.gov/portal/family_options_study.html#pdr-overview
Scope of Project
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homelessness;
housing costs;
housing vouchers
Geographic Coverage:
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United States of America
Time Period(s):
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9/2010 – 1/2012 (Research methodologies from 2022 and 2024 also included)
Data Type(s):
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experimental data;
survey data
Methodology
Sampling:
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2,282 families
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