Does Permanent Supportive Housing Address Racial Disparity? Assessing the Long-term Impacts on Homeless Families with Children in Foster Care

In the United States, a significant number of families are involved in both the homeless and child welfare systems. Approximately 206,812 children are removed from their homes and placed in foster care each year due to abuse and/or neglect. Among these, about 10% are placed in foster care due to their families? homelessness or inadequate housing conditions. Research is clear in finding that children from homeless families are more likely to be placed in foster care and less likely to achieve reunification with their parents. Supportive housing, an intervention that combines housing assistance with intensive supportive services for homeless families, has been identified as a promising approach to promote timely and safe reunification. To date, there is a critical gap in understanding how supportive housing affects homeless families with children in foster care over the long-term. The study's goals are to examine the long-term impacts of Permanent Supportive Housing (PFS) related to child welfare involvement, public assistance, educational outcomes, and housing stability among homeless, child welfare-involved families, and to determine whether race moderates these relationships.

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