Original ArticleLong-term housing subsidies and SSI/SSDI income: Creating health-promoting contexts for families experiencing housing instability with disabilities
Section snippets
Method
This study uses administrative and survey data collected as part of an experimental evaluation of housing and service interventions for families experiencing homelessness in 12 American communities.32 Families with children under age 16 were enrolled following a one-week stay in emergency shelter between September 2010 and January 2012. After administering a baseline survey, researchers randomly assigned each family to receive referral for long-term housing subsidies, short-term rapid rehousing
Disability status at shelter entry and SSI/SSDI income at shelter entry and 20-month follow-up
At shelter entry, 34.1% (n = 618) of respondents reported some disability in the family, 9.2% (n = 168) reported a non-respondent adult with a disability, and 19.9% (n = 360) reported a child under age 16 with a disability. Among non-respondent adults with disabilities, 20.0% were respondents' adult children, stepchildren, or grandchildren. Also, 26.0% (n = 467) of respondents reported a disability in the family that limited the respondent's ability to work. More specifically, 21.7% (n = 390)
Discussion
Disabilities were common among families sampled in emergency shelters in 12 American communities and were associated with less work. About 34% of families reported a member with a disability, just over 20% of respondents reported that a personal disability limited their ability to work, and nearly 20% reported living with a child with a disability.
However, many families reporting disabilities never received SSI/SSDI income. Twenty months after shelter entry, fewer than 40% of respondents
Conclusions
Disabilities among families experiencing homelessness are an overlooked public health topic. Although this study considered only families who were already homeless, disability and associated low incomes may have contributed to homeless entry in the first place. Also, not receiving disability income was associated with returns to shelter. This finding is important given the effects of children's environments on their neurodevelopmental and mental health.37, 38 Policies designed to reduce time
Funding
The research reported herein was performed pursuant to a grant from Policy Research, Inc. as part of the U.S. Social Security Administration's (SSA's) Improving Disability Determination Process Small Grant Program. The opinions and conclusions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not represent the opinions or policy of Policy Research, Inc., SSA or any other agency of the Federal Government. Funding for this paper was also provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Conflicts of interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.
Human participant protection
The Institutional Review Boards of both Vanderbilt University and Abt Associates, Inc. approved this study.
References (39)
- et al.
Previous homelessness as a risk factor for recovery for serious mental illnesses
Community Ment Health J
(2015) - et al.
Disability benefits and clinical outcomes among homeless veterans with psychiatric and substance abuse problems
Community Ment Health J
(2007) - et al.
Outcomes after initial receipt of social security benefits among homeless veterans with mental illness
Psychiatr Serv
(2000) - et al.
The 2015 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Part 2: Estimates of Homelessness in the United States
(2016) HEARTH “homeless” Definition Final Rule
(2011)- et al.
Prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders among homeless and low-income housed mothers
Am J Psychiatry
(1998) - et al.
A comparison of the health and mental health status of homeless mothers in Worcester, Mass: 1993 and 2003
Am J Public Health
(2006) - et al.
Trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms among homeless mothers: predicting coping and mental health outcomes
J Soc Clin Psychol
(2011) - et al.
Emotional and behavioral problems and severe academic delays among sheltered homeless children in Los Angeles County
Am J Public Health
(1994) - et al.
Time-limited case management for homeless mothers with mental health problems: effects on maternal mental health
J Soc Soc Work Res
(2015)
Surviving poverty: stress and coping in the lives of housed and homeless mothers
Am J Orthopsychiatry
Homeless mothers and depression: misdirected policy
J Health Soc Behav
Changes in maternal health and health behaviors as a function of homelessness
Soc Serv Rev
Predictors of homelessness among families in New York City: from shelter request to housing stability
Am J Public Health
The SHIFT Study: Final Report
Longitudinal impact of a family critical time intervention on children in high-risk families experiencing homelessness: a randomized trial
Am J Community Psychol
Action on the Social Determinants of Health: Learning from Previous Experiences
Material hardship in U.S. families raising children with disabilities
Except Child
A national profile of health care utilization and expenditures for children with special health care needs
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med
Cited by (11)
Disability and COVID-19: Challenges, testing, vaccination, and postponement and avoidance of medical care among minoritized communities
2024, Disability and Health JournalDisability-related factors affecting food security status: A case study from southern Ethiopia
2023, Journal of Agriculture and Food ResearchCOVID-19 disproportionately impacts access to basic needs among households with disabled members
2023, Disability and Health JournalHousing insecurity of medicaid beneficiaries with cognitive disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic
2023, Disability and Health JournalUnsafe temperatures, going without necessities, and unpayable bills: Energy insecurity of people with disabilities in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic
2022, Energy Research and Social ScienceCitation Excerpt :There is already a shortage of affordable, accessible housing to meet the needs of people with disabilities in the United States [30,31]. As a result, people with disabilities are more likely to live in poorer quality housing with inadequate conditions, settings that are likely also less energy efficient [31,32]. In addition to expanding quality, affordable, and accessible housing, expanding weatherization assistance programs and implementing programs to help assist people with disabilities with energy efficiency upgrades, such as more efficient appliances, would help reduce energy insecurity as well as help alleviate poverty [2,8–10,13].
Supportive housing for precariously housed families in the child welfare system: Who benefits most?
2020, Children and Youth Services ReviewCitation Excerpt :Although associations varied across sites, housing barriers predicted homelessness as expected, and families with disabled children experienced both less homelessness and less doubling up. This latter finding may reflect the benefits of Social Security Disability assistance, which some families with disabled children can access and which past work connects to better housing outcomes (Glendening, McCauley, Shinn, & Brown, 2018). Family factors performed slightly better when predicting child welfare outcomes.