Rapid rehousing for persons experiencing homelessness: a systematic review of the evidence
Thomas Byrne, Minda Huang, Richard E. Nelson, Jack Tsai
Abstract
Rapid rehousing (RRH), a programmatic approach that seeks to help households currently experiencing homelessness quickly regain stable housing, has garnered increasing attention over the past decade in the United States and internationally. However, there has been no attempt to assess evidence of the effectiveness of RRH. We address this gap by conducting a systematic review to assess the overall quality of evidence on the impact of RRH; summarize evidence of the effectiveness of RRH on housing, health, social, economic and other outcomes; and summarize evidence regarding whether the effectiveness of RRH varies as a function of the characteristics of persons receiving RRH. We rate the overall methodological rigour of evidence on the impact of RRH as moderate. We find mixed evidence about the impact of RRH as compared to usual care and other housing interventions, and no evidence of a differential impact of RRH depending on recipient characteristics. We discuss how future research might help guide the provision of RRH.