Research Report Outcomes for Clients in the Metro Boston Area Receiving Services to Retain Housing under the Special Homeless Initiative
Helen Levine, Tatjana Meschede, Martha R. Burt
Display Date
File
File
Download Report
(99.77 KB)

The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health arranges supportive housing for homeless clients. It uses Special Homeless Initiative dollars for services that help tenants retain their housing. We tracked housing histories for over 600 DMH clients in the Boston area. Analyses show that housing plus supportive services keeps people housed, and reduced hospital days per housed tenant from 102 in the two years before housing to 7 in the two years after housing. Hospitalization costs fell about $20,000 per year per housed client. By funding this type of housing for its homeless clients, DMH can both do good and do well.

Research Areas Health and health care Housing Disability equity policy
Tags Disability and long-term care Homelessness
Policy Centers Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population