AUTHOR=Hao Haijing , Garfield Monica , Purao Sandeep 

TITLE=The Determinants of Length of Homeless Shelter Stays: Evidence-Based Regression Analyses

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 66 - 2021

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2021.1604273

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2021.1604273

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=Objective. To identify risk factors that contribute to the length of homelessness episodes. 
Methods. We utilized a unique dataset from the Homeless Management Information Systems from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which contains 44,197 shelter stays for 17,070 adults between Jan. 2014 and May 2018.
Results. Our statistical analyses and regression model analyses show that factors that contribute to the length of a homelessness episode include being female, senior, disability, being Hispanic, or being Asian or Black African. Recidivism also contributes to longer episodes. A significant fraction of episodes (76%) are experienced by individuals with at least one of three disabilities: physical disability, mental health issues, or substance use disorder. 
Conclusion. The results suggest possible program and policy implications. Several factors that contribute to longer homelessness episodes, such as gender, age, disability, race and ethnicity, may have funding implications.  Age may point to the need for early interventions. Disability is developmental, and may benefit from treatment and intervention. Finally, recidivism points out that length and recidivism are not independent, and may form a vicious cycle that requires additional investigation.