The goal of this study is to examine the effect of the Housing First model on expenditures by MassHealth, Massachusetts’ Medicaid program. Housing First offers chronically homeless individuals immediate housing as a foundation for the delivery of a range of other supportive services (e.g., mental health and/or substance use disorder services and social service supports). The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) administers two statewide Housing First initiatives: the Home and Healthy for Good (HHG) program, which has served over 1,100 formerly chronically homeless individuals since 2005, and the Social Innovation Financing Pay for Success (PFS) program, which has served over 800 formerly chronically homeless individuals since 2015. This study population includes (1) individuals who participated in either of these permanent supportive housing programs, were enrolled in MassHealth, and met other study inclusion criteria described below and (2) a control group of chronically homeless individuals who were not enrolled in a Housing First program. (author abstract)
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