FUSE New York City: Multiple and Varied Housing Histories of a Re-Entry Population

Background. The New York Frequent User Service Enhancement (FUSE) study evaluates a supportive housing intervention for persons with multiple shelter stays and jail experience. Methods. Data sources include in-depth personal interviews and administrative data matching to compare housing and other outcomes among intervention and comparison group members. Participants' complex housing histories are captured with a residential follow-back calendar which records detailed information on diverse aspects of participants' living situations, the amount of time in each situation, and transitions between them. Results. We analyze housing histories in two ways. Detailed information collected about housing and housing transitions provides rich detail about multiple dimensions of housing and living arrangements and reasons for housing loss not captured by stable/unstable or other dichotomous classifications. The second approach uses innovative analytic methods to identify individuals sharing similar patterns of living conditions, focusing on different patterns of institutional histories of living in shelters, jails/ prisons, hospitals and other residential settings as well as non-institutional living situations. This analysis suggests different ‘trajectories' of living patterns among those who would be considered chronic homeless according to the existing federal definitions. We analyze the extent to which individual characteristics and/or receipt of housing assistance and other services are associated with different housing trajectories. Conclusions. Preliminary analysis indicates that housing /homelessness histories are shaped more by federal, state, and local institutional policies rather than by individual characteristics or behaviors of program participants.