Housing and Child Welfare: Emerging Evidence and Implications for Scaling up Services. Issue 1 (17th August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fowler, Patrick J.; Farrell, Anne F.; Marcal, Katherine E.; Chung, Saras; Hovmand, Peter S.
• Is Part Of: American journal of community psychology. Volume 60:Issue 1/2(2017)
• Page Start: 134
• Page End: 144
• Publication Date: 2017-08-17
• Subjects: Scale‐up -- Child welfare -- Homelessness -- Evidence‐based interventions -- Homelessness prevention -- Systems science; Community psychology -- Periodicals; Community mental health services -- Periodicals; Community psychiatry -- Periodicals; Community Mental Health Services -- Periodicals; Community Psychiatry -- Periodicals; 155.905
• DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12155
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0091-0562

Abstract

Highlights: A review of housing interventions reveals systemic constraints for scale‐up in child welfare. Current practices that target highest risk families may diminish effectiveness and increase demand. Scale‐up provides opportunities to better coordinate housing services with the child welfare system . Abstract: Inadequate housing threatens family stability in communities across the United States. This study reviews emerging evidence on housing interventions in the context of scale‐up for the child welfare system. In child welfare, scale‐up refers to the extent to which fully implemented interventions sustainably alleviate family separations associated with housing instability. It incorporates multiple aspects beyond traditional measures of effectiveness including costs, potential reach, local capacities for implementation, and fit within broader social services. The framework further encompasses everyday circumstances faced by service providers, program administrators, and policymakers who allocate resources under conditions of scarcity and uncertainty. The review of current housing interventions reveals a number of systemic constraints for scale‐up in child welfare. Reliance on rental assistance programs limits capacity to address demand, while current practices that target the most vulnerable families may inadvertently diminish effectiveness of the intervention and increase overall demand. Alternative approaches that focus on homelessness prevention and early intervention must be tested in conjunction with community initiatives to increase accessibility of affordable housing. By examining system performance over time, the scalability framework provides an opportunity for more efficient coordination of housing services within and outside of the child welfare system.