Tracing the path out of homelessness: The housing patterns of families after exiting shelter

Housing patterns of homeless families after shelter exit were explored in order to study the role of subsidized housing in the achievement of residential stability. Families (n = 233), interviewed prior to their first entry into emergency shelter, were reinterviewed five years later. At follow-up, 80% were in their own apartments and only 3% were still in shelter. Of 114 families who obtained subsidized housing after their first shelter exit, 83 were still there an average of 3.3 years later. Nearly half (51) of the 119 families who left shelter without a subsidized apartment returned to shelter, but a majority obtained subsidized apartments and achieved stability after a subsequent shelter stay.