Housing and criminality: the effect of housing placement on arrests among chronically homeless adults

ABSTRACT

This article examines the relationship between criminality and housing among a population of formerly homeless adults by comparing arrest rates before and after placement in a supportive housing program. Jail entry records reflecting the period of chronic homelessness preceding housing placement were matched with post-intervention records for 87 adult men and women. In the studied population, a significant drop in arrest rates occurred after entry into the supportive housing environment. Findings support the assertion that supportive housing allows lifestyles to stabilize, which in turn leads to reductions in criminality. This study also reveals a transitionary period between the onset of the housing intervention and the observed decrease in arrests. Arrests do not instantaneously cease to accumulate. Instead, jail entries gradually decline over approximately twelve to eighteen months post housing placement. Explanations for the emergence of this transitionary period are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Homelessness
• criminality
• criminal behavior
• housing first
• permanent supportive housing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Chronic homelessness adds the element of repeated or prolonged periods of time; as defined by the United States federal government, chronically homeless persons are those individuals who exist in locations not meant for human habitation or shelters continuously for 12 months or more, or who have experienced four episodes of homelessness totaling 12 months in the preceding three years (United States Department of Housing & Urban Development, 2016). Importantly, chronic homelessness is inter alia associated with incarceration (Tsai & Rosenheck, 2012).

2 Literal homelessness is defined as the lack of a fixed or regular residence. Literally homeless individuals or families primarily reside at night in places not intended for human habitation or shelters (United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 2018). Wright (1989) defined the concept of literal homelessness as those “who, on a given night, have nowhere to go—no rented room, no friend’s apartment, no flophouse—people who sleep out on the streets or … avail themselves of beds in shelters, missions, and other facilities” (p. 20).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joshua T. Ellsworth

Joshua T. Ellsworth is a doctoral candidate in Criminal Justice at Indiana University Bloomington. His research focuses on interpersonal violence, victimization, and street crime among vulnerable populations.