Negotiating child protection mandates in Housing First for families

Housing First (HF) is an evidence-based service model that combines permanent housing and supportive case management premised on harm reduction and consumer self-determination to end homelessness for high-need individuals. Originally developed for use with single adults, this model is now being employed with families. Yet there is little empirical work on how HF is implemented with this particular population.

The aim of this study is to examine how frontline providers adapt and apply HF to formerly homeless or at-risk, families involved in child welfare.

Frontline providers working in family HF programs (N = 59) were recruited from two states, across 11 organizations, and 16 program sites. The theoretical sample (n = 26) includes 13 participants working in programs that encouraged direct collaboration with Child Protective Services (CPS) in the program model and 13 participants from three non-CPS-aligned sites in a second state.

A grounded theory approach was used to analyze semi-structured, qualitative interviews.

Frontline providers exercised street-level bureaucratic discretion when interpreting child protection reporting mandates and they found ways to adapt the HF model to this population. In doing so, they worked to juggle both their mandates to child protection and to principles of HF to create a "child safety-modified" form of HF.

While our study shows that providers are modifying HF to address the needs of families involved in child welfare, it also raises questions as to the degree to which HF can be done with high fidelity when used with this population.