Housing and Child Well Being: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice

Abstract

Inadequate housing and homelessness represent significant barriers to family stability and child development. An accumulating body of evidence documents the relatively high risk of family separation among families experiencing housing instability and homelessness, the extent of housing problems experienced by families involved in the child welfare system, and the disproportionately high rates of homelessness among youth aging out of foster care. Vulnerable youth and families interact frequently with various social service programs intended to mitigate multifaceted and multilevel risks, however, systems efforts and resources are rarely coordinated and results to date are mixed. We introduce 13 papers that are part of a burgeoning, increasingly sophisticated body of scholarship that inform coordinated responses to inadequate housing experienced by families involved in child welfare and related interventions. We note emergent themes and state a pressing need for research that accounts for ecological and contextual influences, examines the differential impact of housing and service interventions, identifies critical ingredients of effective housing and service interventions, and positions for scale-up. We distill findings into a set of observations and recommendations that align with best intentions to improve quality of life and promote well being among some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.

Perspectives of caregivers with child welfare involvement in a supportive housing program

“…These findings inform the social work profession by providing insights into caregivers' perspectives and contribute to the literature on evidence of a Housing First supportive housing model for families involved in child welfare in the United States (Farrell, Britner, et al, 2010;Farrell, Luja´n, et al, 2012;Fowler & Farrell, 2017;Hong & Piescher, 2012;Rog et al, 2015). The profession of social work is principally charged with ensuring children grow up in families that are safe and nurturing and that child welfare systems are responsive to this task (National Association of Social Workers, 2018).…”

“…Despite these promising results, additional study is needed to evaluate the efficacy of the supportive housing model for families involved in child welfare (Cunningham et al, 2019;Fowler & Farrell, 2017;Rog et al, 2015). Particularly, qualitative research findings exploring the perspectives of caregivers who are involved in child welfare and who receive the Housing First supportive housing intervention are not found in the literature.…”

The Cal-DSH diversion guidelines

“…74 Some traumatized SMI persons engage in behaviors that have developed over time as survival strategies or fear responses, which may take them to unwanted contact with the criminal justice system. [75][76][77][78][79] Applied to diversion, a trauma-informed lens offers the opportunity to identify and address trauma-related sequelae that may contribute to individuals' psychiatric and behavioral instability, substance use, poor treatment response, relapse, unwanted contact with law enforcement agencies, recidivism, and other poor outcomes. Embedding TIC principles into the intercept model can alleviate the effects of trauma on individuals, minimize retraumatization, and stem the flow of individuals with SMI into the criminal justice system by addressing primary or contributory sources of problem behavior.…”

Child Maltreatment, Problem Behaviors, and Neighborhood Attainment

“…Evidence from both cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies shows that childhood maltreatment is related to a number of problem behaviors, including school problems, prostitution, delinquency, crime, and homelessness (Eckenrode, Laird & Doris, ; Fowler & Farrell, ; Kaufman & Widom, ; Kendall‐Tackett & Eckenrode, ; Logan‐Greene & Jones, ; Maxfield & Widom, ; McIntyre & Widom, ; Mersky & Reynolds, ; Perez & Widom, ; Shah et al., ; Stoltz et al., ; Tanaka, Georgiades, Boyle & MacMillan, ; Widom, ; Widom & Kuhns, ; Wilson & Widom, ). Neighborhood conditions have also been related to certain types of problem behaviors, for example, studies show that school performance is strongly associated with neighborhood conditions (Dietz, ; Leventhal & Brooks‐Gunn, ).…”