A study of the intervention that contribute to the stabilization of the homeless in Phenix City, Alabama, 2006

This study is produced by the House of Restoration which is located in Phenix City, Alabama, to examine some interventions used in the attempt to create stability of an individual or family. The individuals and families focused on was from October 2001 through September 2004. For the purpose of this evaluation, interventions are defined as a system of help that created a change in an individual or families situation. Stabilization is defined as an individual or family that remains in housing for a period of three continuous years. The evaluation measured stabilization using the House of Restoration Stabilization Questionnaire (HORQ), which consists of 11 open and closed ended questions. An evaluation of 25 families and 15 individuals who have requested shelter was selected at random from the House of Restoration caseload. Respondents were reinterviewed after a three years period. Individuals and families with two or more periods of history in a shelter will be excluded from the follow up study. The results of the study will show that interventions demographic characteristics and housing conditions were the most important risk factors for shelter entry; enduring poverty and disruptive social experiences also contributed. Receipt of one or more interventions such as subsidized housing is believed to be a primary predictor of stability among formerly homeless families