Case Studies: Demonstrating the Effectiveness of Supportive Housing for Families in the Child Welfare System

In September 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded five-year demonstration grants to Broward County, FL, Cedar Rapids, IA, Memphis, TN, San Francisco, CA, and the state of Connecticut to test the effectiveness of supportive housing for particularly vulnerable families involved in the child welfare system.

In addition to providing more than 500 families with supportive housing and wraparound services, the demonstration was intended to strengthen partnerships between child welfare, housing, health care, employment, and other local systems, in order to reduce bureaucratic barriers and improve outcomes for the highest-need families. Targeted outcomes included reducing rates of child maltreatment, out-of-home placements, and overall involvement with the child welfare system. Over the course of the demonstration period, grantees received technical assistance from CSH , with the Urban Institute serving as the national evaluation partner.

We spoke with the communities about what they have learned and next steps. Those conversations are summarized in the following case studies.

You can also watch these videos from the Cedar Rapids and Connecticut demonstration sites.