Journal article
Joshua T. Ellsworth
Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, vol. 31(2), 2022, pp. 130–141
Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, vol. 31(2), 2022, pp. 130–141
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APA
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Ellsworth, J. T. (2022). Housing and criminality: the effect of housing placement on arrests among chronically homeless adults. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 31(2), 130–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/10530789.2021.1897935
Chicago/Turabian
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Ellsworth, Joshua T. “Housing and Criminality: the Effect of Housing Placement on Arrests among Chronically Homeless Adults.” Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness 31, no. 2 (2022): 130–141.
MLA
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Ellsworth, Joshua T. “Housing and Criminality: the Effect of Housing Placement on Arrests among Chronically Homeless Adults.” Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, vol. 31, no. 2, 2022, pp. 130–41, doi:10.1080/10530789.2021.1897935.
BibTeX Click to copy
@article{joshua2022a,
title = {Housing and criminality: the effect of housing placement on arrests among chronically homeless adults},
year = {2022},
issue = {2},
journal = {Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness},
pages = {130–141},
volume = {31},
doi = {10.1080/10530789.2021.1897935},
author = {Ellsworth, Joshua T.}
}
Abstract
ABSTRACT This article examines the relationship between criminality and housing among a population of formerly homeless adults by comparing arrest rates before and after placement in a supportive housing program. Jail entry records reflecting the period of chronic homelessness preceding housing placement were matched with post-intervention records for 87 adult men and women. In the studied population, a significant drop in arrest rates occurred after entry into the supportive housing environment. Findings support the assertion that supportive housing allows lifestyles to stabilize, which in turn leads to reductions in criminality. This study also reveals a transitionary period between the onset of the housing intervention and the observed decrease in arrests. Arrests do not instantaneously cease to accumulate. Instead, jail entries gradually decline over approximately twelve to eighteen months post housing placement. Explanations for the emergence of this transitionary period are discussed.