Measuring the Effectiveness of Interventions on Improving Outcomes for Homeless Individuals

Fellows: Chris Bopp, Cindy Chen, Isaac McCreery, Carl Shan
Data Science Mentor(s): Young-Jin Kim
Project Partner: Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness

As many as 750,000 adults and children are homeless in the United States, and thousands spend any given night without a safe place to sleep in Chicago alone. To combat these grim statistics, Chicago created Plan 2.0 – A Home for Everyone, a progressive seven-year action plan that serves as the blueprint toward the vision of a city in which everyone has a home. The Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness manages the implementation of this plan in partnership with Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services, and serves as the backbone organization for Chicago’s homeless services system, bringing together the essential components for creating housing solutions in Chicago.

In 2014, DSSG Fellows investigated the housing interventions prescribed by Plan 2.0, with special attention given to emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent housing interventions. The team examined the effectiveness of these strategies for different demographic and geographic targets, supporting the goal of ensuring that all individuals and families in Chicago have access to safe, quality affordable housing, as well as the resources and support needed to ensure housing stability. You can read more about this project here.