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Housing First And Health: What The Evidence Says

Robinson L, Moon K, Linton SL, Pollack EC
Health Affairs
  • The rising prevalence of homelessness has reignited policy debates about the efficacy of Housing First in improving housing and health outcomes.
  • Housing First demonstrates consistent improvements in housing outcomes, whereas findings on health outcomes are mixed.
  • There are questions about whether inconclusive health findings can be explained by implementation challenges and differences in research design across studies, or whether they are truly due to mixed health effects.
  • Future research should pay particular attention to study design, measurement, follow-up duration, and program implementation.
  • Given the well-documented health harms of homelessness, interventions that promote housing stability remain a critical strategy for improving health and well-being.
  • Steps must be taken to overcome the political, financial, and operational challenges that create barriers to implementing Housing First with fidelity and at scale.

Robinson L, Moon K, Linton SL, Pollack EC. Housing First And Health: What The Evidence Says. Health Affairs. 2026. DOI: 10.1377/hpb20260810.888811 

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Publication year
Resource type
Issue Briefs & Reports
Outcomes
Social Needs/ SDH
Health & Health Behaviors
Social Determinant of Health
Housing Stability
Study design
Other Study Design