Assessing anxiety and depression trajectories among single homeless adults receiving rapid rehousing following placement in housing

Abstract

Despite growing international interest in using rapid rehousing (RRH) to address homelessness, there is little information about the mental health outcomes of RRH participants. We examined changes in anxiety and depression symptoms over time following placement in housing among a cohort of 98 single homeless adults receiving RRH services from a major city in the United States. We also assessed the extent to which sociodemographic characteristics, and factors related to RRH participants’ ability to maintain independent housing, were associated with the trajectory of change in anxiety and depression symptoms. We found statistically significant linear decreases in both anxiety and depression symptoms. Factors identified as having the strongest association with changes in anxiety and depression symptoms over time included age, race, monthly income, having a poor credit history as a barrier to housing and reporting that a mental health problem made it difficult to live on one’s own. Our findings suggest that the benefits of RRH may extend beyond improved housing stability and point to the need for additional and more rigorous research to test the impact of RRH on mental health outcomes.