Presented By: Survey Research Center
SRC Seminar Series Presents: The Impact of Temporary Rental Subsidies on Homelessness: A Randomized Controlled Trial
James Sullivan, Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame
https://umich.zoom.us/s/93308993048
Meeting ID: 933 0899 3048
Passcode: 262913
Abstract: Unconditional, indefinite housing subsidies have been shown to reduce homelessness, but such programs are massively over-subscribed. Policymakers have expanded less expensive, time-limited Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) subsidies to serve more people, with little empirical backing. Time-limited rental subsidies are predicated on the idea that homelessness results from financial constraints that can be addressed with temporary assistance. We conduct a randomized controlled trial that provides temporary rental subsidies to single, homeless adults. During the 30 months after random assignment, the treatment group receives an unconditional average of about $10,000 in financial assistance, even though only about half of those assigned to the treatment group successfully lease a unit with assistance. This assistance leads to a reduction in incidence of homelessness of one-third and a reduction in the number of shelter days by two-thirds while the subsidy is active. Preliminary sub-sample results indicate that most of these effects persist after the subsidy ends.
Bio: James Sullivan is a Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame. He has been a visiting scholar at the National Poverty Center and has served on its Advisory Board. He was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago and has served as a national Phi Betta Kappa Visiting Scholar. In 2019, he was appointed to the U.S. Commission on Social Impact Partnerships. His research examines the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs at the national, state, and local level. He also studies the consumption, saving, and borrowing behavior of poor households, as well as poverty and inequality measurement. In 2012, with fellow Notre Dame Professor William Evans, Professor Sullivan founded the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) and currently serves as the lab’s director. LEO is a research center that works with service providers and policymakers to identify effective and scalable solutions to reduce poverty in America. Sullivan received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
Meeting ID: 933 0899 3048
Passcode: 262913
Abstract: Unconditional, indefinite housing subsidies have been shown to reduce homelessness, but such programs are massively over-subscribed. Policymakers have expanded less expensive, time-limited Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) subsidies to serve more people, with little empirical backing. Time-limited rental subsidies are predicated on the idea that homelessness results from financial constraints that can be addressed with temporary assistance. We conduct a randomized controlled trial that provides temporary rental subsidies to single, homeless adults. During the 30 months after random assignment, the treatment group receives an unconditional average of about $10,000 in financial assistance, even though only about half of those assigned to the treatment group successfully lease a unit with assistance. This assistance leads to a reduction in incidence of homelessness of one-third and a reduction in the number of shelter days by two-thirds while the subsidy is active. Preliminary sub-sample results indicate that most of these effects persist after the subsidy ends.
Bio: James Sullivan is a Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame. He has been a visiting scholar at the National Poverty Center and has served on its Advisory Board. He was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago and has served as a national Phi Betta Kappa Visiting Scholar. In 2019, he was appointed to the U.S. Commission on Social Impact Partnerships. His research examines the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs at the national, state, and local level. He also studies the consumption, saving, and borrowing behavior of poor households, as well as poverty and inequality measurement. In 2012, with fellow Notre Dame Professor William Evans, Professor Sullivan founded the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) and currently serves as the lab’s director. LEO is a research center that works with service providers and policymakers to identify effective and scalable solutions to reduce poverty in America. Sullivan received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
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