The National Center on Family Homelessness received a grant from the Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation to examine the effectiveness of various housing programs designed to help disadvantaged families achieve stability, self-sufficiency and independence.  This project has two primary components: the Wilson Commencement Park Alumni Study and the SHIFT (Service and Housing Interventions for Families in Transition) Longitudinal Study.

• The Wilson Commencement Park (WCP) Alumni Study examined long-term outcomes of former residents of this transitional housing program in Rochester, NY, which the Wilson Foundation helped to establish in the early 1990's.  WCP provides housing and on-site services to low-income, single-parent families for up to two years.  This study provides a retrospective evaluation on how families fared in the areas of housing, employment, education, family stability and financial self-sufficiency 5-10 years after leaving the program. 

• The SHIFT (Service and Housing Interventions for Families in Transition) Longitudinal Study examines and compares the long-term outcomes of families entering shelters, transitional housing programs, and permanent supportive housing programs in four communities in Upstate New York: Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.  Interviews were conducted at program entry and then follow up interviews were conducted 15 and 30 months later.  Mothers answer questions about their children, their housing and employment history, their health and mental health, challenges they have faced, their receipt of services and public benefits, and their accomplishments.  Enrollment, baseline data collection and 15 month follow up interviews have been completed, and 30 month follow up interviews are currently being conducted.  All data collection is scheduled to be completed by April 2011.

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