This report documents the characteristics of transitional housing programs for homeless families in five cities and their surrounding counties--Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, San Diego, and Seattle. It looks at housing and service configurations, entry criteria and program rules, client characteristics, outcomes, and performance documentation. Data were collected as the first stage in a project that is following families as they leave transitional housing programs and looking at the factors that influence their ability to find and keep housing, and avoid additional homelessness.