Effectiveness of housing assistance for child welfare-involved families: A systematic review with meta-analysis

In the United States, families experiencing housing instability are more likely to have their children placed in the foster care system and face substantial barriers to reunification. Supportive housing has emerged as a promising intervention to improve child welfare outcomes for these families; however, evidence regarding its effectiveness remains inconclusive. This meta-analysis examines the impact of supportive housing on child welfare outcomes, focusing on whether it reduces foster care placements, facilitates family reunification, and decreases homelessness and subsequent child welfare reports. A systematic search across 11 academic databases and the gray literature identified relevant randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies examining the effects of housing interventions on reunification and child removal outcomes in the United States. Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria, and analyses were conducted using robust variance estimation meta-regressions. Supportive housing showed minimal impact on preventing child removal, homelessness, or new child welfare reports. However, families receiving supportive housing had significantly higher odds of reunification (OR = 1.96, 95% confidence interval [1.67, 2.31]) than families without supportive housing. Supportive housing is essential for helping housing-unstable families involved with the child welfare system achieve reunification. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).