School to Housing
Locations
- Hennepin County, Minnesota
Focus Area
- Housing
“Hennepin County’s School to Housing program centers around one simple but powerful idea: School staff might have some of the best insights into which students—and their families—need extra support.” - Hennepin County Housing
The Issue
In 2018, the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated that nearly 60,000 families in the United States experienced homelessness on any given night. While homelessness can affect anyone, it is a prominent issue for families with children. Many families become homeless after periods of precarious housing, often “doubling up” by living with friends or relatives. In fact, studies found that 45% of homeless families had been staying with others immediately before entering a shelter. The consequences of homelessness extend far beyond the absence of housing, as homelessness is linked to increased mental health challenges and a decline in academic achievement among children.
The Intervention
Hennepin County’s School to Housing program (STH) prevents homelessness among precariously housed families through early intervention in the school system. STH partners with schools throughout Hennepin to identify at-risk families and provides them with housing search assistance, nine months of case management, and nine months of rental assistance. This county-wide initiative aims to promote self-sufficiency while simultaneously ensuring that children can remain in their school and improve their educational outcomes.
Research Question
- Does the School to Housing Program stabilize housing and prevent precariously housed families from entering the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)?
- Does the School to Housing Program improve educational attainment for children in precariously housed families by reducing school absences?
Intended Outcomes
LEO and Hennepin County’s School to Housing are partnering to evaluate the program’s impact on homelessness and school-based outcomes. Homelessness prevention will be measured by HMIS entry and McKinney-Vento status, and school performance will be measured through school absences and tardies. Other short-term outcomes of interest include earned income increases, standardized test scores, number of school changes, and reduction in in-school disciplinary infractions. Long-term outcomes include stable housing, high school and college completion, and criminal justice involvement. These outcomes will be measured annually for at least 10 years post-enrollment by linking participants’ records to Experian credit reports and data from various Minn-LInK data sources.
Research Study Design
LEO plans to evaluate the impact of Hennepin County’s School to Housing program through a randomized control trial (RCT). School to Housing operates in eight districts in Hennepin County and will also be partnering with two similar intervention programs.
To support rigorous evaluation, Hennepin will implement a lottery-based enrollment process.
Because demand for the program exceeds available participation, eligible individuals will be randomly assigned to either a treatment group or the control group. Participants assigned to treatment group one will receive access to the School to Housing intervention, which provides families with housing search assistance, nine months of rental assistance, and nine months of case management services.
Participants assigned to treatment group two will receive a permanent rental subsidy voucher from Hennepin County, along with housing search support and optional 12-month case management services.
Participants assigned to the control group will not participate in School to Housing or receive the permanent rental subsidy.
This RCT will allow LEO to generate causal evidence on the effectiveness of Hennepin County’s School to Housing program in improving housing and educational outcomes.