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Predicting and Preventing Family Homelessness

CPL’s predictive models could allow the L.A. Dept. of Social Services to identify which families who receive government cash aid are at the highest risk of homelessness. One of the major innovations of the predictive model approach is that it provides opportunities to outreach to families in need of homelessness prevention assistance that may not have self-identified as needing help.

Background

CPL is working with the Los Angeles County Chief Information Office, the Department of Public Social Services, and the Department of Children and Family Services to predict homelessness among families currently enrolled in CalWORKs (California’s version of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). This promising project would allow DPSS and its partners to offer these families homelessness prevention services in order to preclude them from falling into homelessness.

Research Project

Status: ongoing

Using a rich set of integrated administrative data from seven county agencies, CPL is building models to predict which of the families who enrolled in CalWORKs in are most likely to become homeless after enrolling in CalWORKs.

Research Team

Professor Till von Wachter (Co-Principal Investigator), Dr. Robert Santillano (Co-Principal Investigator), Janey Rountree, Brian Blackwell

Results

Forthcoming

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