Report Measures Impact of Gates Foundation’s Transitional-Housing Program

Evaluation of the Sound Families Initiative: A Closer Look at Homeless Families’ Lives During and After Supportive Transitional Housing assesses the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s $40-million project to combine transitional housing and support services for homeless families in Washington State. According to the report, nearly 50 percent of those who participated increased their income during their stay in the program, which lasted an average of just over 12 months. Forty-one percent of primary caregivers were employed at the time they finished the program, compared with 27 percent when they began, and 55 percent of parents said their children’s behavior improved during their stay. Among the report’s recommendations for similar programs offering “service-enriched” transitional housing: conduct comprehensive screenings of families and their needs upon their entrance into the program; offer activities and play areas for children, as well as easy access to transportation for their parents; and provide housing options to families at the time they leave.

Publisher: Northwest Institute for Children and Families, University of Washington, School of Social Work, 4101-15th Avenue North East, Seattle, Wash. 98105-6299; (206) 543-1517; fax (206) 685-1330; 86 pages; available free for download on the foundation’s Web site.