Citation

Warren EJ, Drazen YN, Curtis MA. Child. Youth Serv. Rev. 2017; 78: 81-88.

Affiliation

School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1350 University Ave, Madison, WI 53706, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.05.002

PMID

30078925

PMCID

PMC6072271

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between county Public Housing Agency (PHA) practices that prioritize families experiencing homelessness and county-level child maltreatment rates. Using data from a survey of PHAs and the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) with a sample of 534 counties, we find that policies which give preference to homeless households for housing assistance are associated with reduced victimization and substantiation rates, while policies that reduce barriers to assistance eligibility are associated with reporting rates. Our findings suggest that beyond prioritizing homeless families for housing assistance as a means of ending homelessness, providing families with more expedient access to a valuable public subsidy may have important positive externalities, such as reduced CPS involvement. Additional partnerships between child welfare agencies and housing providers, particularly those that provide housing subsidies, may be worthy of additional investment and evaluation.

Language: en

Keywords

Child welfare; Homelessness; Housing; Maltreatment; Policy; Public housing