July 22, 2010 - Research assessing New York City's rapid re-housing programs over the last eight years suggests that well-intentioned efforts to move families from shelters to housing - primarily with time-limited rental assistance vouchers - has not been as effective as hoped.

The study, "Boomerang Homeless Families: Aggressive Rehousing Policies in New York City", released by the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness, finds a growing percentage of families eligible for these programs is unable to maintain housing stability, and returns to the shelter system.  The report suggests that rent vouchers alone are not enough for some families to remain stably housed - they need case management, mental health services, financial skills training, employment assistance and other forms of help for these households to earn enough money to pay their rent.

The study is available for free download here on ICP's website.