This paper provides background about the City and County of Denver Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond Initiative; it lays out the details of the randomized controlled trial evaluation, including study data and methods, study results, discussion, and a list of references.
This document reports on the City and County of Denver Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond Initiative (Denver SIB), launched in 2016. The Denver SIB housing model used a Housing First approach to address the chronic homeless population that cycled in and out of jail. The authors of the report provide an in-depth discussion of their research methodology, including their data collection and variables, limitations, and statistical analysis and outcomes. Primary and secondary outcomes are presented along with data charts which present results on housing for the treatment group; the authors also provide estimates of the effect of supportive housing on healthcare use outcomes and mortality. They conclude that the findings from this study offer compelling evidence that supportive housing increases access to preventive care to address underlying diagnoses and decreases the revolving door of emergency care. They also note that the results have a double benefit of demonstrating greater access to services and improved health for participants, but also results in more efficient use of taxpayer dollars.